Becoming Kagome
by Lilgrimmapple
Summary: Raise your hand if you ever wanted to meet the InuYasha gang! Well, I should have kept my hand down. Not only do I end up possessing Kagome like a demon from 'Supernatural' but I have to take on her role as well- collecting jewel shards, passing exams...This ain't a feudal fairytale. It's a feudal nightmare! I want my money back! (Warning: Contains a sassy self-insert)
1. Happy 15th Birthday to Me - Again

**Becoming Kagome**

_Chapter 1_ \- Happy 15th Birthday To Me… Again

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**A/N**: _Warning: May contain graphic violent scenes and crude language. It will contain a self-insert character. Don't like it? Then save yourself the agony and read something else. _

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I woke up to the sound of the alarm clock going off and I instantly knew that something was wrong. First of all, I don't use an alarm _clock_. My cell phone is what wakes me up whenever I need to go to work. Only- today was supposed to be my day off. The second hint was that I woke up in a room that was not my own. _My _room had one window (not two) with plain brown curtains (not pink), clothes from yesterday carelessly thrown over a chair, and more books than I should be allowed to own.

_This _room was neat and bright with warm sunlight. I haven't seen a room this cheery since I was five. I turned the alarm off and curled back into myself, more than ready to brush this off as a cute dream. Even though it was a dream, I still felt sleepy from staying up until two in the morning catching up with "Game of Thrones." I yawned as I allowed myself to relax and shut my eyes.

I dozed off.

"Hey sis! Wake up, you're going to be late!"

My eyes shot open and my heart leapt up into my throat. I sat up and stared out at the doorway where a young boy had burst in.

...What…?

He looked exasperated when I did nothing but stare blankly at him. "Really, just because it's your birthday doesn't mean you get to sleep in. It's not a Sunday, you know."

"Huh?" was my smart response.

"Breakfast is ready. Hurry up!" And then he closed the door and was gone.

I stared at the door for a good minute before my brain slowly started to wake up and crank its gears. Was it me or did that boy look a lot like Souta Higurashi, a certain character from a certain anime that I was unhealthily obsessed with back when I was a teenager? And did he just call me his sister?

Like a zombie, I slipped out of bed and walked over to the nearby vanity mirror. I should have expected to see a different reflection staring back at me, but it still caught me by surprise. Instead of my thin shoulder length brown hair that had midway outgrown its red dye- I had long thick black hair that reached past my shoulder blades. My face was that of a pretty teenager instead of a voluptuous twenty-something adult. I was staring back at Kagome Higurashi. The only thing that I could see that remotely belonged to me were my eyes, the familiar grayish green instead of Kagome's chocolate brown.

Funny enough, that was what confused me the most about this situation. I spread apart my eyelids to examine them more closely as if the first time wasn't enough. But the truth still stood. I was trapped in Kagome Higurashi's body. The only proof that I was still _me _were my eyes.

I didn't panic though I should have probably done so. I blamed it on the shock. Years ago, I would have been ecstatic to find myself in this situation. I would have run down to the well house and jumped right in. Now? I didn't feel anything. After all, was this really a good thing? What happened to me? Could I go back to my real body? Was Kagome possessing my body instead? Or worse? Did I die?

I had no idea.

I looked up at the wall calendar. I should at least get my bearings. I knew _where _I was, but I didn't know exactly _when. _If I recall correctly from the manga, this took place in the 90's. And true enough, the date was labeled March 2, 1997. Turns out that I already did a little bit of time-traveling already. I let out a tiny humorless chuckle. I should be five years old right about now.

I got dressed in Kagome's usual school uniform and almost left the room when I decided last minute to make the bed. This wasn't _my_ room after all. It would be rude to leave it in a mess. After smoothing out the sheets and folding Kagome's pajamas, I brushed my..._her _hair and walked down to the living room. Souta was already there with his grandfather, eating his bowl of rice and eggs.

The old man glanced up from his newspaper at me and smiled, showing a giant gap between his teeth. "Look who decided to get up! Our birthday girl!"

"Good morning, dear." I saw Mrs. Higurashi walk out of the kitchen and set down a bowl for me at the table. She smiled warmly, "happy birthday."

"Good morning," I said with a weak smile and sat myself down. "Thank you."

The Higurashi's paused and looked at each other strangely before looking back at me. I guess they expected me to be more cheerful?

"Is everything alright, Kagome? You look rather down," Mrs. Higurashi asked.

"I just had a bad dream, that's all." I picked up my chopsticks and began to pick up a chunk of rice. This earned me more strange looks. "What?" I asked.

"No, it's just… the way you are holding your chopsticks…" Grandpa Higurashi trailed off.

I instantly could see what he meant. Looking at how they were using their chopsticks, I knew that my way of holding them was wrong. My chopsticks were crossed in my hand while they held theirs parallel- in a true Japanese fashion. I put my chopsticks down. "My hand hurts, I think I sprained it. Do you think I could use a fork instead?"

"Of course dear," Mrs. Higurashi instantly stood up and went to the kitchen to retrieve one for me. Souta and Grandpa Higurashi stared at me like I was an alien. I kept my eyes lowered, not wanting them to see that the color of my eyes was all wrong. My excuses seemed to be enough for them to not say anything further. Breakfast ended without any further hitches, though I still received concerned looks from Kagome's family.

I couldn't say anything to them. I didn't know how. How could I just up and say that I was not their Kagome? That I was someone else entirely who was currently possessing their kid like some evil spirit? Oh God, I could just imagine all the exorcisms that Grandpa Higurashi would use. He would throw salt in my face, stick a sutra onto my forehead and wave his stick thing around over a fire while chanting a mantra. It wouldn't work of course. I knew for a fact that the old priest had no talent for the supernatural whatsoever.

My best plan of action was to fake it until the end of the day. I'll pretend to go to school, avoid the well at all costs, and go to bed hoping that I'll wake up back in my original body. If there was one thing I did not want, it was to be dragged into the feudal era. I did not want demons after my life for having a shikon jewel embedded inside my body. I _especially_ did not want to be stuck in a world with no plumbing, bug sprays or antiseptic.

Yes, staying in modern times was my plan. Well… 'modernish'. 2020 was pretty far off from 1997. Wifi and President Trump weren't exactly a thing yet. I snorted. I could only imagine the looks on everyone's faces if they found out what the future had in store...

I grabbed my school bag, not caring if it had the textbooks I needed or not. I'll probably end up hanging out at a park or something. Or maybe I'll hide out somewhere on the property? Yeah, that sounded like a good plan. The Higurashi Shrine property was supposed to be huge from what I remember in the show. Besides, it's not like I knew where Kagome's school actually was.

After saying goodbye to Kagome's family, I walked outside and took in the environment. The shrine grounds were amazing! I gaped like a fool as I turned my head back and forth. It was then and there when I came to grips that I was actually in Japan. My heart rushed with excitement. For so long I had wanted to visit Japan. So long have I wanted to experience its culture and here I was. How could I _not _enjoy myself? There was so much history. So many legends and mythos. Perhaps I could get Grandpa Higurashi to tell me a few stories later? I was about to take a look around when I spotted Souta next to the well house. He had a bowl of cat food in his hands.

_Oh shit… _

Not wanting to get involved with any half naked centipede ladies, I tried to sneak around the back corner of the house. But it was too late, Souta caught sight of me.

"Kagome, I need your help!" he yelled over to me.

I groaned. There went my chance of sneaking away-but maybe it wasn't too late to deviate from the plot. If I just left Souta alone, chances were that he would get involved with Mistress Centipede rather than me. I could not with a clear conscience allow for that to happen. Maybe I could just get him away from the wellhouse and then we could both be safe. I jogged over to Kagome's little brother and placed my hands on my hips, putting on an authoritative front. "Souta, you're not supposed to go near the well house," I scolded.

Souta pouted, "I know but the cat is down there and it's my turn to feed him."

"Just leave the bowl by the door. He'll come out when he's hungry."

Souta frowned at me, "he's too fat to climb up the stairs though. You know that."

'_He's __**that **__fat?_' I could have sworn that I had an anime style sweatdrop forming. "Then why did he go down there in the first place?" I asked, unable to hide the frustration in my voice.

"How should I know? He's a cat!"

'_Kid's got a point…_'

Souta looked down into the darkness and hesitantly called, "Buyo…" Then he scooted away from the door until he pressed against me. Okay, that was kind of adorable. "I don't know where else he could be."

"What, are you scared?" I asked.

"I'm not scared!" Souta rebuked but I could hear his voice tremble. "It's just so dark and creepy down there."

I peered inside again and I had to agree with the kid. There was an eeriness inside that made the air seem heavier...more oppressive. More...evil. The lone well stood there in the middle of the room. It was sealed up tight with a wooden lid.

A scratching sound came from inside and I felt goosebumps crawl up my skin. Oh no…

"Ah!" Souta jumped and hid behind me. "Something's down there!"

"Yeah…" I agreed and took a step backwards. "How about we just leave?"

"But Buyo's down there!"

"So?" I wasn't about to risk my life for a cat!

Souta gripped my arm and shook it. "So you've got to get him out!"

"Why _me_?" I could almost cringe at the whininess of my tone.

"Because you are the eldest! Ah, there he is!" Souta pointed. Indeed, a fat calico cat lazily walked out from behind the well, rubbing against the wood and staring up at me with his large glowing eyes. Almost like he was beckoning me down. "Just grab him and let's get out of here."

My legs felt like wooden planks, stiff and imobile. I felt scared. I knew exactly what was waiting for me down there and I _really _didn't want to get involved. But at Souta's urging, I found myself taking a step forward. Okay, fine. I just had to get the cat, right? Easy enough! I'll just run down there, grab Buyo and hightail it out of there. As long as I didn't dawdle, I would be fine.

Taking in a deep breath and then letting it out, I rushed down the wooden steps. Once I was down there, I reached for the cat. But as if knowing what I was doing, Buyo merely flicked his tail and jolted out of my reach. I gaped. Too fat my ass! That feline was as agile as a rabbit. Desperate, I grabbed for him again and again he dodged my hands and meowed. Was he stalling me on purpose?! "Oh come on! Don't do this to me!" I begged.

The scratching inside the well grew louder and I felt my time was running out. I lunged and this time, I managed to grab Buyo. Heavens, he was heavy! Not wanting to waste anymore time, I turned to start making my way towards the stairs.

There was a loud sound of wood splintering and Souta's eyes widened, "sis! Behind you!"

I didn't dare look back and I was one step up the stairs when I was grabbed from behind by multiple hands. "No!" I screamed. I lost my grip on Buyo and the last thing I saw before I was pulled into the well was Souta's frightened face.

"Kagome!"

I thrashed and uselessly kicked my legs as I fell headfirst. My eyes were squeezed shut and I could feel myself being turned around. When I opened them, I wish I hadn't. I was now face to face with Mistress Centipede in all her topless glory. Her face was that of a Noh mask, expressionless and terrifying. Her bottom half was all bone and I could see her slowly regrowing her flesh.

"Alive…" she purred in happiness as she held me tighter. Her voice was distorted and unpleasant. "Oh to be alive once more. Already my strength returns."

I squeaked when she pulled me closer.

"You have it don't you?" A slippery and extremely long tongue stretched out from her mouth and licked at my face, snapping me out of my stupor. "Give it to me!"

"Here!" I bellowed angrily and I knew exactly what to do. Shoving one of her arms away, I slammed my hand into her face and felt a surge of power well up inside. "Eat it!" A strong beam of light exploded from the palm of my hand and hit her full blown in the face.

Mistress Centipede shrieked in pain and let go of me, though one of her arms ended up still attached to mine. I screamed and tore the amputated limb off, flinging it away in disgust. The demon writhed as half of her face was missing. I didn't remember the anime being this graphic. "Wretched girl! I must have the sacred jewel!" she snarled before she faded into the darkness below me.

In that moment I found myself floating down in a sea of blue stars alone and I looked down at my side. There was a faint glowing right where the jewel was. "Just your luck, huh Kagome?" I muttered.

I almost expected a reply back in my head, but there was nothing but my own thoughts and feelings of anxiety. My fall slowed and I could see the end. I hovered for a second before I landed on my two feet, like someone gently had set me down. For a moment, I just stood there inside the well not moving. I could hear the birds chirping above me and I knew that if I looked up, I would see the blue sky instead of a dark ceiling.

I looked up. Yeah… I had time traveled. A glowing white butterfly fluttered down towards me and circled me a few times. "Let me guess? You want me to climb out?" I asked it. The butterfly flapped its wings and ascended up into the sunlight. It wasn't like I had much of a choice in the matter. I gave a huff and walked up to a vine, gripping it firmly with my hands. I gave it a sharp tug but it held fast. Good. I began to climb up. I grunted and huffed as I battled against my own body weight. "No big deal," I said out loud to myself. "All I've got to do is get out and jump back in. Then I'll fill the well with holy water and vwala! No more demons! Sam and Dean would be proud."

I pulled myself out of the well with some difficulty and had to close my eyes momentarily as the bright warm sunlight hit them. Blinking a few times to adjust to the light, I finally got a good look at the forest that I was in. It was breathtaking. The trees rustled gently. The sunbeams glistened through the branches with specks of dust shining golden like magic. I almost fell back into the well as it at last hit me like a cargo truck. This was real. I was Kagome and this was feudal Japan. I was in Rumiko Takahashi's _InuYasha. _

I pulled my legs over the well's side and sat there on the rim. I took it in. I took it _all _in. All thoughts of jumping back into the well evaporated into nothing. I listened to the music of the birds. It felt like heaven here. Like my troubles didn't matter anymore. I could feel my inner child fighting to explore. To go find that dog eared boy and save the world. I had the chance to do it so why was I planning to run away?

'_Because this isn't a game,'_ I reminded myself. '_You are on the demons' most-wanted list because you are carrying something that is akin to a genie in a lamp._' Even with these thoughts, I felt my wanderlust awaken after so many years. Perhaps a little look around couldn't hurt.

Against my better judgement, I walked away from the well and deeper into the woods. I didn't know where I was going or where I'd end up. Yet almost like magic, my feet knew exactly where to go. I followed the sunlight while enjoying the gentle breeze brush against my bare legs. I haven't worn a skirt in so long that I had forgotten how it felt.

Eventually I came across the grandest tree that I have ever seen. It was giant and very old. It was the infamous goshinboku or 'honorable sacred tree.' They were believed to have special divine powers which is why they grew so large and lived for centuries. Or was it the other way around? I was drawn to the tree and I couldn't help but move closer. Like I had expected, a white-haired boy in a red haori and hakama was there with an arrow embedded through his heart. Fifty-year-old vines had wrapped around his body in a snare.

I had forgotten to breathe as I stared up at InuYasha in awe. I felt my eyes well up with tears and I quickly blinked them away. I didn't want to get emotional over pure nostalgia. Despite that, my heart sang with joy. Here he was with his long hair swaying in the breeze. His eyes were closed and his face was smoothed in what looked like a peaceful sleep. I looked around to see if anyone else was around but we were alone. I knew that it wasn't going to last for long. Soon the villagers would find me and bind me captive. I should have used that as an excuse to turn around and run back to the well, but no. There was still one thing I had to do. Even if it got me killed...this one thing was a **must**.

I climbed up onto the giant roots until I was standing right before the sleeping half demon. Hesitantly, I reached for his ears. I gulped. This was it. The was the moment! Gingerly, I pressed one finger against his white ear. It was so soft and fuzzy! I squealed. Gaining more confidence, I began to gently massage them with both hands. They felt so delicate and velvety that I was reluctant to let go. But my arms soon got tired and I pulled away. "Well, I guess I can cross that off my bucket list. I should probably get to the well before-"

"Get away from there!"

Suddenly something rushed past me and I screamed, pressing myself against InuYasha. Half a dozen arrows struck the tree around us in a warning. I looked over my shoulder and saw the village men glaring up at me. I grimaced. Why did I have to give into temptation like a stupid fangirl? I lifted my hands in surrender, "don't shoot! I'm unarmed!"

They surrounded the tree, bows and arrows at the ready. One man motioned at me with his weapon, "get down now!"

"Okay, okay!" I replied hastily, "I'm coming down." As carefully as I could, I climbed back down. Once I was on ground level, the men roughly pulled me away from the tree and bound my hands behind my back. The rope was thick, rough and scratchy and I could already feel the impending rope burn on my wrists. "You don't have to tie me up. I promise I won't do anything."

"Shut up. Priestess Kaede will know what to do with you."

I sighed in reluctant acceptance. "Alright, fine." And then I said with the most obnoxious voice that I could muster, "take me to your leader!"

* * *

The villagers stared at me with fear and suspicion as I sat there in the middle of the crowd. They had tied my legs up too- making it incredibly uncomfortable. I shifted as much as I was able. My left leg was falling asleep. I could hear the villagers gossiping amongst themselves.

"A girl in strange clothes…"

"Is she a foreigner?"

"You reckon it's war?"

"Of course it is! And right in the middle of rice planting season too."

"She could be a kitsune in disguise."

"Nah, them shape-shifting foxes are a lot trickier than that."

"I can assure you that I'm human," I called out as-a-matter-of-factly.

"That's exactly what a demon would say…"

I rolled my eyes and drowned them out. I didn't blame them for being suspicious though. This time period was literally the dark age of Japan's history. It was rightfully named 'The Warring States' after all. Compared to the villagers, I was quite the anachronism. They were poor human folk who if attacked by demons, would be killed off before anyone could say, 'holy shit.'

"Make way for High Priestess Kaede!"

"Finally…" I sighed under my breath as the crowd parted for an old woman with an eyepatch. Using her bow as a walking stick she approached me. She handed the bow to a villager and reached into her salt bag. "No, I'm not a demon," I said quickly. I did NOT want to be seasoned like a plucked turkey. "Salt won't work on me." It wasn't until after I said that was when I realized just how much of a desperate excuse that sounded to be. Kaede was no fool to take me at my word. She threw the salt at me and I closed my eyes.

"Demon begone!"

She kept throwing the salt at me until she realized that it wasn't working. I sat there, covered in the white powder. I gave a loud and unlady-like sneeze, scattering the salt. The villagers jumped like they were expecting me to sneeze out some monster. "Are you satisfied?" I asked her dryly while giving a sharp sniff.

"So ye spoke true. Ye are not a demon," Kaede acknowledged though the suspicious glare she gave me did not disappear. "But if that is the case, then why were ye found in the Forest of InuYasha?"

"Oh you know," I shrugged my shoulders. "I've decided to take a walk. It's such a beautiful day outside- no point in lazing around at home all day."

The old woman did not find my sarcasm amusing.

"She could be a spy from another village," one of the men whispered to Kaede.

"In that case she would be a fool," Kaede replied. "Who would invade such a poor village as ours?" She looked back at me again and her good eye widened in shock. My mouth tightened in turn. I knew exactly what she was thinking. She came closer, "let me have a good look at ye." She grabbed my chin and turned it side to side. I kept my face as expressionless as possible. Luckily, she didn't call me a half-wit and Kaede pulled away. "It's there…" she said in wonder. "Though I know not why."

'_No, but I do…' _

After deeming me harmless, I was untied and was beckoned to follow the old priestess.

The sun had gone down soon after and I was offered some stew from Kaede. I stopped massaging my rope burned wrists.

"Yes, thank you," I took the wooden bowl gratefully. I took the chopsticks into my hand and plucked out an onion, blew on it and put it in my mouth. "Mmm… delicious!"

Kaede eyed my strange hold on the chopsticks but didn't say anything about it. "Bear us no ill will, child. For though I now see that ye mean us no harm. In these troubled times of war- no stranger may be welcomed among us without deep distrust."

"No, I'm not mad," I smiled at her reassuringly. "It can't be easy for you living in these difficult times."

Kaede frowned in confusion, "ye speak as if ye have not experienced such a life."

I shrugged, "that's because I haven't." There was no point in lying to her. If there was one person I wanted to confide in… it was Kaede. She was old and wise. I was sure that she would try to help me if I asked. "I'm not from around here, you see. Not this country, not this time… not this _world._"

Kaede paused in her raking of the coals. She looked me in the eye. "Are ye saying that ye are not from this world entirely, but from a different realm?"

I nodded and sipped the broth. "It's a long story…" And so I told her everything. From the moment that I woke up in a body that was not my own to the point where I was now. Kaede stared at me with bewilderment. "So you see, I really need to return back to my world. To my own body. This body belongs to Kagome, not me. I can't take her life away from her."

Kaede hummed in thought. "I have not heard of such a thing happening in all my years. "Human souls cannot possess a living body that is not their own. It simply isn't done. But ye are quite human as I have deduced. So it leaves only one possibility."

"And what is that?" I pressed eagerly.

"Your soul is one and the same."

I blinked and frowned. "Sorry? I don't think I understand."

Kaede explained, "it is not unheard of for a soul to traverse through space and time. A soul can be reborn in this world or the next. Yours simply merged with Kagome's and took control of her consciousness."

I cautiously put down the stew and breathed out my nose, "okay… so what you are saying is that I am Kagome's incarnation?" There was no way I could believe that! I gave a little laugh, "yeah...sure. And the next thing you'll say is that I'm Kikyo's as well."

Kaede was taken aback, "how do ye know about my sister?"

Oof, I wasn't supposed to say that…

I wasn't given time to think of an answer when we heard the sound of crashing, splintering and screaming. The bell began to toll and my blood ran cold. Ah crap! Why did it have to happen so soon?! Kaede and I raced out of the shack.

"What's going on?" Kaede exclaimed.

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry!" I blurt out. "It's my fault!"

"What are ye talking about, child?"

I felt guilt grip me like a vice. "She followed me here. I should have never wandered around the forest!"

"It's a monster!" A villager screamed and the ground shook. Dust was thrown into the air as Mistress Centipede rampaged. In her mouth was a horse, still living and struggling. I felt sick. This was so much more horrible in real life… The villagers tried to fire flaming arrows at the demon but she merely swiped them away with her long tail.

Mistress Centipede cackled evilly as the tossed the horse away. It landed with a crash in front of me and I balked back. Its stomach was torn open with intestines pouring out. "Ugh!" I covered my mouth and resisted the urge to puke. The demon's eyes met mine and she screeched angrily, "give me the sacred jewel!" She charged.

Kaede and I threw ourselves aside, barely dodging the giant centipede. I ducked again when she returned.

"It said sacred jewel…" Kaede gasped and she turned to me with fear. "Bear ye it still?!"

"It's inside me, yeah," I replied quickly and struggled to my feet. At this rate, though I won't carry it for long.

"I must have the sacred jewel! I must!" Mistress Centipede began to swirl like a drill, breaking through homes and colliding with the poor villagers until they were tossed aside like ragdolls. Everyone was going to die!

"Spears, arrows… nothing works!" A villager yelled angrily.

"We must draw it to the dry well," Kaede said firmly.

That was my cue… I groaned in frustration and fear. I was going to regret this. I was going to regret this **so freaking much**. "Oh, is that all?" I asked in a fake cheerful tone. "Alrighty then. Leave it to me!" I gave Kaede a thumbs up and began to run towards the forest. "It's where the weird glowy light is, right?"

Kaede reached out after me, "wait!" she cried but I was not stopping for anything. I could hear Mistress Centipede racing after me. I leaped into the shallow ravine and waded across until I made it to the shore. The forest was right in my sights ahead of me. I breathed heavily as I kept pushing myself to go faster. Run faster! My heart raced and I felt overwhelmed by fear. I wasn't Kagome… I wasn't! One wrong move and I would kill us both! My lungs began to burn but I refused to slow down. "I don't know if you can hear me…" I panted, "or if this is just a pointless attempt at my part… but please! InuYasha! WAKE UP!"

"The jewel! Give it to me!" The demon bellowed as it drove me up a giant hill.

I gasped and whimpered. Running up the hill was slowing me down considerably and I felt like my legs would give out any minute. The grass was wet and slippery. One wrong step and it would be over. "F-forget it! It's not… yours!" I had just made it to the top when Mistress Centipede collided into me. I somersaulted through the air and I gave a shrill scream. I hit the ground and slid across it with my front. I coughed, spitting dirt out of my mouth. Ow, ow, ow! My boobs were not airbags!

"Hello Kikyo. Playing with bugs now are we?"

I froze at the familiar taunting voice that I knew **far** too well. I shakily looked up and saw that I was lying at the base of the sacred tree. InuYasha was awake. His golden eyes glowed, baring down at me with an intensity that almost frightened me.

* * *

**A/N**: _HAHAHA! ANOTHER FANFICTION! When shall I ever stop?! NEVER! Anyway, for those who do not know… this story is more or less a love letter/tribute to my younger self that was hopelessly in love with InuYasha. But instead of writing about myself from back then...I am writing about me as I am now. A full grown adult who has a little bit more brain cells in her cranium. Not by much though. I'm still very much an idiot. Haha! In any case, my relationship with InuYasha, Shippo, Miroku, and Sango is not going to be the same as Kagome's. How this will play out… is a mystery even to me. I can easily see myself introducing Miroku to the 'that's what she said' jokes and plotting mischief with Shippo, fangirling over Sango and… bickering with InuYasha. I guess that last one isn't too different. _

_Anyways, leave a comment and let me know what you think! _


	2. Sit Boy!

Chapter 2 - Sit Boy

* * *

_**Previously…**_

"_Hello Kikyo. Playing with bugs now are we?"_

_I froze at the familiar taunting voice that I knew __**far**_ _too well. I shakily looked up and saw that I was lying at the base of the sacred tree. InuYasha was awake. His golden eyes glowed, baring down at me with an intensity that almost frightened me. _

* * *

"Oh...so you're awake." I sat up. I felt rather proud at how casually I said that. Like we were old buds or somethin'.

"Why are you taking so long to kill it? Just do her like you did me," InuYasha said.

I sucked in my breath so quickly that I accidentally inhaled my own spit. I coughed loudly and banged on my chest to relieve myself. My face was flushed red. Okay… that could have been taken out of context _**way too**_ easily. '_I won't be __**doing**_ _anyone anytime soon, thank you very much!' _

InuYasha stared at me weirdly as I struggled to breathe. But then he laughed, finding my sorry state to be hilarious. "You look pretty dumb there Kikyo!" he mocked. "The Kikyo _I _know wouldn't waste her time."

Regaining my composure, I stood up- wiping my mouth. "Says the dog boy who's pinned to a tree like a Christmas decoration." That earned me a glare which I ignored. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not Kikyo."

InuYasha was about to retort when he stopped and looked up. "She's here."

Mistress Centipede burst from the tree top with her arms reaching out for me. I yelped and staggered backwards. My ankle got caught on a protruding root and I fell down on my back. "Ew, get away from me!" I cried.

Spears impaled the demon in the side right in the nick of time. I breathed in relief when the villagers showed up. "Good! Now pull!" one of the villagers, who I guessed was the head leader, shouted. They pulled on the ropes and began to drag the monster away from me.

"Thank God," I muttered. The rescue was only temporary but I was still grateful.

"You're pathetic, Kikyo," InuYasha sneered.

I rolled my eyes. Oh, here we go again. "Are you deaf?" I got up and walked up towards him. "I just told you that my name isn't Kikyo. Have you been asleep for so long that you can't even tell the difference?"

"And I'm saying that you've got to be her, cause if you're not- there's no way that you could smell so-..." InuYasha stopped and stared at me. I crossed my arms, waiting for the lightbulb to flicker on. He leaned his head forward and instead of sniffing me like he did in the show, he looked me right in the eyes. Instead of Kikyo's dark brown eyes, he was met with my evergreen ones. He pulled back in bewilderment. "You're… not her…"

I grinned at him in triumph, "So he _can _be taught. The name is…" I paused. Should I give him my real name? I wasn't Kagome, but… InuYasha was the only one other than myself who could travel through the well. If he called me by my real name around Kagome's family then I would have a lot of explaining to do. That would be a great deal of trouble, especially since I didn't understand the situation very well myself. "Kagome," I said at last. "My name is Kagome. Ka-go-me. _Got it memorized_?" Lies, body snatching, line stealing, and pop culture references, I was **so** going to hell for this...

InuYasha frowned at the pause that I had made but did not think much of it. He snorted and looked away from me. "You're right, Kikyo was cuter. Much cuter."

I glared at him, "you're just mad 'cause you couldn't tell the difference."

"Could so!" InuYasha retorted.

"Could not!"

"Could so!"

"Could not!"

"Could so!"

"Could so!"

"Could not!"

"Okay, fine." I turned away and shrugged.

"Wait… what?"

I could have smacked myself for getting sidetracked in a petty argument with InuYasha because before I knew it, Mistress Centipede had torn herself away from the villagers and now was pulling me away! I grabbed at the nearest thing which happened to be InuYasha's tresses. "No! Stop! Let go!"

"Ow! Ow! Ow! **You** let go!" InuYasha yelled at me.

"Not happening!"

"_Give me the sacred jewel_!" Mistress Centipede shrieked.

InuYasha's eyes narrowed at the mention of the jewel.

"No!" I yelled back in defiance. "'No' means 'no' which means 'NO'!" I kicked my legs uselessly.

"Then I shall devour you whole." The demon's jaws opened wide, practically splitting her face in half. Her fangs lengthened and I couldn't help but watch in horror. "Shikon jewel and all!" She lunged at me.

Releasing InuYasha with one hand, I thrust it towards Mistress Centipede. Again, I felt the energy well up into my arm and out of my palm- forcing her to recoil. The power tore off Mistress Centipede's arms and I tumbled down to the ground, landing rather hard on my butt. "Ow!" I rubbed it with a wince. I was going to have so many bruises…

A pink light shone out of my side and instantly got up onto my feet. I did not plan on having a chunk torn out of my body! I saw Mistress Centipede charging back at me, jaws agape. I put my feet shoulder width apart, holding my ground. I readied my hands and prepared to give her another blast in the face. I felt the power well up in my arms and the jewel shone brighter.

That was when it happened. A splitting headache made me gasp out loud. I clutched at my head and my legs felt weak. It took all of my strength not to fall to my knees. Emotions ran through me, ones that I clearly knew weren't my own. Fear...desperation...frustration… they were all things that I already felt, but these ones were… _**extra**_.

This moment of distraction is what sealed my fate. I felt the air knocked out of my lungs as Mistress Centipede barreled into me. Her fangs snagged around my middle and I felt pain as they sunk in. With little effort, I was thrown into the air like a lifeless ragdoll. I was in shock. The outside of my vision began to form black spots and I felt a massive panic. I felt myself going under! The headache throbbed as if pushing my consciousness away.

Whether it was instinctual self-preservation, insane willpower, something else or all of the above, I fought back the foreign emotions- pushed them back to the far reaches of my mind. I knew that if I was knocked out, I would probably never wake up again. The headache dulled into nothingness and my vision grew clear again. The battle with myself was won.

I didn't have time to notice that the jewel was torn from my body. I cried out and grunted as I tumbled back down the centipede's exoskeleton until I hit the ground. I lay there, stunned. My body trembled uncontrollably.

"Give me the jewel, quick!" InuYasha urged me. "Hurry!"

I could barely comprehend his words. I was in pain and terrified. The jewel lay in front of me, gleaming almost innocently while it was covered in my blood. My fingers shakily reached for it, as if I was unable to believe that it existed.

Mistress Centipede moved fast. She wrapped her body around us and pressed me firmly against InuYasha, rendering me completely helpless. "I heard that some half-demon spawn was after the sacred jewel," the demon purred, eyeing InuYasha with interest. "It's you, isn't it?" she cackled.

"Half's all I need to kick your scaley hide. Anything more than that would be a waste of my time," InuYasha sneered.

I didn't say anything. My mind was blank with fear and couldn't focus on the discussion around me. I didn't even catch the moment when the demon swallowed the jewel. I didn't know what happened to me. What was that headache? It was unlike any other that I had experienced before. And those emotions… what were they? I felt like I was losing control… Honestly, that moment frightened me more than the fatal situation that I was currently in. Pain snapped me out of my stupor and I cried out. I was being crushed to death!

"Hey… can you pull out this arrow?"

I looked up at InuYasha. Wordlessly, I reached up to grab the arrow that was in his chest. I didn't even hesitate.

"Nay child! Once the arrow is removed, then InuYasha will be free to destroy us all!" I heard Kaede yell from behind me.

My hand gripped around the arrow. "If this arrow… isn't removed now… we all will die anyway…" I croaked, barely able to breathe. I looked at InuYasha in the eyes. He was watching me carefully. I gave him a pained smile. "With you, we'll have a chance… won't we? Will you save us?"

InuYasha stared at me, emotion void from his face. "How about you quit yapping and start pulling?"

I grinned. That was the closest to a 'yes' that I would ever get. "As you wish." My grip tightened around the arrow and I pulled. The arrow didn't move but began to glow a bright light. The harder I pulled the brighter it became. With a final yell and tug- the arrow disappeared from my grasp and I collapsed back against InuYasha, out of breath. I closed my eyes as I felt the spell around him break… pulse after pulse.

He was free. The rest was up to him.

InuYasha began to chuckle quietly and it gradually grew into loud bursts of maniacal laughter, "_AHAHAHAHA_!" The fully transformed Mistress Centipede must have realized that she was in big trouble because she screeched and squeezed tighter. I felt my spine popping and my ribs threatening to crack. Luckily for me, InuYasha wasted no time. With a slash of his claws and his impressive strength, the demon was torn away from us both.

I was thrown back and I gasped for air. I managed to sit up in time to see InuYasha land expertly onto his own two feet.

"Wicked child!" Mistress Centipede hissed angrily.

InuYasha whirled around, sparks of fifty years worth pent up energy emitted from his claws. "Nasty hag!" he taunted with a devilish grin. The supernatural beings charged at one another and InuYasha readied his attack. "_Iron reaver soul stealer!_" And just like a knife through butter, InuYasha sliced through Mistress Centipede's body from head to tail. He burst through the other side of her and her body fell to pieces.

I got to my feet with some difficulty. I had to find the jewel before Mistress Centipede reassembled herself. For a brief moment I wondered if I could see the jewel like Kagome. To my relief, I saw the bright glow of the jewel in one of the larger twitching pieces. Ignoring my own revulsion and desire to retch, I stuck my hand into the lump of gooey flesh and plucked out the jewel. Without the power of the trinket to sustain its life, the flesh dissolved into vapor, leaving nothing but bones behind.

I sighed. It was over… Well… _almost_. I still had InuYasha to deal with. I looked over to Kaede who stared at me with amazement. I gave her a weak smile. "I don't suppose I can just leave this thing with you, huh?"

"Nay," the old woman shook her head, refusing it. "The jewel rightfully belongs to ye."

"I was afraid as much…" my fist tightened around the accursed object.

I heard the crunching of bones and I turned to see that InuYasha took a step in my direction. I stiffened. "If you want to be rid of the jewel so badly, why don't you hand it over to me? I'll take good care of it for you," he said maliciously.

The smile vanished off my face. In his mind, he had been betrayed only recently. He was hurting and he was angry, and InuYasha was about to take out that anger on me. I took one step back. "Why? So you can become a full demon? Sorry. You may have saved us from that monster and I _am_ very grateful- but I can't give it to you." I didn't want to imagine what would happen if it granted his wish this early on.

"I'm not asking if you _can or can't_," the half demon growled. "I'm _telling_ you to hand it over before I start sharpening my claws on you."

My frown deepened, "Look, no good will come of you having this jewel." I wanted him to understand. "Threaten me or not, trust me when I say that you _**don't**_ want this."

"Hmph! Like you would know what I want," InuYasha said. "I'm getting tired of your stalling. I will not say it again. Give me the jewel or die."

"Ye musn't give him the jewel, child," Kaede warned me as she came up to stand next to me, offering me support. "Lest we all be doomed."

"Then you need to come up with something fast," I replied back- trying to hint to her that she ought to pull out those magic beads of hers. "Either I give him the jewel or he kills me for it. If you ask me, it's already a lose-lose situation." I saw the patience in InuYasha dwindle. I was out of time, so I met his eyes with defiance. "Very well. You want the jewel, dog boy?" I tossed it into the air and then caught it with one hand. "Then come and fetch."

Anger flashed in his eyes and his legs readied to spring. "You asked for it, wench!" InuYasha charged. I turned around and ran. However it was dark and so I did not see the bones that lay before my feet. I cried out when I tripped. I felt the air being cut over my head and I fell to the ground. I watched as several unfortunate strands of Kagome's black hair fluttered away. The bones that saved Kagome from being beheaded saved me this time too. I got back up and scowled at InuYasha. I used to think that he was holding back in the show… trying to frighten Kagome into giving up the jewel…

_I couldn't help but wonder if he did actually intend to murder me. _

InuYasha smirked at the look on my face. "Want me to scratch your back?" He flexed his hand and his joints cracked. I suppose he anticipated for me to start pleading for my life- to trade away the jewel.

"You scratch mine and I scratch yours!" I shot back. It was an empty threat but the surprise on InuYasha's face made it worth it. He did not expect me to have the courage to talk back after that attack.

"Well aren't you feisty?" he sneered.

The village men (bless their kind souls) tried to save me. They shot their arrows at InuYasha, but without any spiritual power they might as well have been throwing sticks at him. InuYasha easily cut down their arrows before slicing down two giant trees. The villagers scattered in fright, avoiding being crushed to death.

While InuYasha was distracted, I fled deeper into the forest. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Kaede pulling out the infamous necklace from her kimono. Good… that was very good.

I had to hand it to Kagome. She was far more fit than I was. I wouldn't be able to run this much for this long in this condition in my original body. Granted, my older body had longer legs so it could move faster, but my stamina was a pitiful one.

It didn't take long for InuYasha to catch up to me. "Prepare yourself!" I heard him yell from behind me. At least he had the decency to warn me when he was going to strike. He slashed down at me and I threw myself to the side away from harm. I landed roughly on the ground and I winced. How was I not black and blue all over yet? I glanced up to see long gashes implanted in the soil where I once was.

"Damn…" I muttered.

Seeing that I was nothing more than a sitting duck at this point InuYasha charged down at me again, "Ha! Now it's mine!"

I tried to move away only to feel a tree against my back. My hand clenched tightly around the jewel. '_Anytime now Kaede!_' I yelled in my head.

As if an answer to my prayers, the glowing beads came to my aid. They shot towards InuYasha and formed into a necklace around his neck. InuYasha came to a halt in front of me and grabbed at the beads in confusion. "The heck are these?" he asked.

This was it...

"I'm giving you one chance to stand down, InuYasha." I warned him as I leaned against the tree, trying to hold my own weight. I had to give him a fair chance. "Forget about this jewel and leave me alone."

InuYasha let out a snort and began to slowly make his way towards me. He knew I could barely move. "Ha! _You're_ threatening _me_ now? I don't know if you're brave or plain stupid. What are you going to do to me? Talk me to death?"

One step closer… two steps…

I took a deep breath and yelled the one phrase… the one _word… _ that InuYasha would fear for the rest of his life. "**SIT** BOY!"

The beads activated and InuYasha was pulled headfirst into the ground with a yelp. The sound echoed across the forest, farther and farther away until all was quiet again.

"Sometimes words are all I need," I stuck out my tongue at him.

InuYasha sat up with his face covered in dirt. "What the heck is this thing?!" He tried to pull it off but to no avail.

Kaede walked over to me and offered me her support to stand. She looked over at InuYasha with a calm look on her face. "I'm sorry, InuYasha but even you lack the power to remove it."

"We'll see about that!" InuYasha spat furiously at the old priestess. "I'd go and finish you off if you didn't look half dead already!"

Kaede shook her head. "The word please."

All eyes went on me. I opened my mouth and got ready to say it. InuYasha looked at me with alarm and I stopped. No. I wouldn't. This wasn't the way. I closed my mouth and gave InuYasha a firm glare. "Listen to me, InuYasha and you listen good. If you attack me or anyone else who doesn't deserve it, I'll use the word against you. If you try to steal the jewel away, I'll flatten you. If you purposefully endanger me, others or _anything_ that I care about, I'll break your face. That is a promise."

InuYasha growled, baring his fangs at me. His resentment grew but he didn't do anything. What could he do now that I had power over him?

"But I also promise that I will not abuse you."

InuYasha's growling stopped.

I gave him a kind smile and I saw his confusion grow. "I will not use the word out of anger. I will not use it as a means to get my way. I especially will not say it out of sheer amusement."

I got odd looks not only from InuYasha but from the villagers as well. Here I was being civil to a violent half demon that had tried to slaughter me. I guess it was kind of strange, but I felt that InuYasha needed this. He needed some sort of respect and compassion while at the same time letting him know where the line was. InuYasha suffered so much in his lifetime. I was not about to add to it.

With the whole incident over, we decided to go back to the village so Kaede could tend to my injuries.

InuYasha stood there frozen with his eyes baring right into the back of my head like he couldn't begin to understand me. His feet slowly began to move and he followed while keeping a reasonable distance away.

* * *

Kaede had made me drink some vile medicine so it could knock me out while she stitched up the wound in my side. At first I was scared that I would be resistant to the concoction but before I knew it, I was out cold.

_I found myself in the forest once more. Before me was the sacred tree and it was surrounded with glowing lights that reminded me of Kikyo's souls in a way. It was really pretty. I stood there staring at the tree when I realized that I wasn't alone. I turned around and saw Kagome standing there behind me. The real Kagome. Her body was shining a blue color, sort of like how it looked when Kikyo placed a spell on her when she did not want Kagome interfering with her dragging InuYasha to hell. I looked down at myself. I was the same way too. Kagome did not look happy at all._

"_Kagome…" _

"_Who are you?" She demanded angrily as she stomped over to me, "What did you do to me?!"_

_I backed away from the girl, suddenly feeling nervous. "I… don't know," I admitted. Even though she was only 5'2" compared to my 5'7", she still wasn't someone I wanted to find myself on the bad side of. _

"_What do you __**mean**_ _you 'don't know'? You've possessed me or something!" _

_I winced at the accusation. So… Kagome was still conscious somewhere within me. That sort of made things worse and far more complicated. "Honest, I have no idea why I'm stuck in your body. I just woke up one day and was you." I held my hands up in surrender, after all she had all the rights in the world to be angry with me. "I'm sorry."_

_Kagome placed her hands on her hips, "Sorry doesn't cut it. You nearly got me killed!"_

"_To be fair, you would have gone through the same thing even if I wasn't here." _

"_Yeah? And how would you know that?" she snapped._

_I shrugged. "I just know. On your fifteenth birthday, you get pulled down the well and into the feudal era of Japan. You free the half demon InuYasha, break the shikon jewel and then travel around the country with him in order to regather all the fragments. All the while you go back and forth from your world while trying to pass your middle school exams. Where I am from, your life is an anime and manga."_

"_You expect me to believe that?"_

_I deadpanned, "Girl, you are currently under possession by me and have fallen into the world of demons. How is anything of what I told you beyond believability?" _

_Kagome slumped down onto one of the tree's roots and put her head in her hands. "I don't know...I just don't know what to believe anymore. I should be back home with my family. Mom, grandpa, Souta… they don't even know I'm gone!"_

_My face softened. I couldn't help but feel bad for Kagome. She was only a ninth grader. A kid. Of course this would be hard for her. I sat down next to her and entwined my fingers together in my lap. "Me neither…" I offered gently. I looked over to her sadly, "Kagome… I really am sorry. I didn't mean to possess you."_

_Kagome lifted her head and her eyes were filled with tears. She grabbed me by the arms and shook me desperately, "then give my body back to me! If you're truly sorry, then you will go away!"_

_My own eyes began to sting from empathy. I could feel her emotions just as strongly as if they were my own. "I don't know how," I replied weakly. "Maybe you can force me out? Since you are the true owner of this body, you should be able to take control."_

_Kagome's head lowered and her hands went slack from my arms. "I tried that already."_

_I blinked, "you did?"_

"_Yeah. But you shoved me back."_

_I remembered the unexpected headache that I felt when I was faced with Mistress Centipede. Was that Kagome trying to take control? I shuddered at the memory. It was one of the worst feelings that I had ever felt. The feeling that I was losing myself. By instinct, I had pushed Kagome's soul back down, my own soul fighting for dominance. Fighting for the chance to live. Was my spirit somehow more powerful than Kagome's? _

"_It's only natural," another voice came from in front of us. Kagome and I looked up to see a priestess standing over us. She was incredibly beautiful. I knew instantly that this was Kikyo. She looked down at us with indifference like we both were nothing special. Her piercing eyes met mine. "As our reincarnation, you are more accustomed to us. Therefore, overpowering Kagome was nothing to you. We don't have that luxury of being used to your soul being one of ours." _

"_Who are you?" Kagome asked nervously._

"_She's Kikyo," I answered quietly. "She's you from a past life."_

_Kagome groaned and leaned her head back against the tree. "Oh great. Things just keep getting weirder and weirder. How many people do I have living inside of me? Am I a schizophrenic?" _

_I sighed and looked up at the wise priestess. "So now what?" I asked her. "Am I just stuck living as Kagome for the rest of my life or what?"_

"_The only easy way for you to leave this body is if you die," Kikyo answered. "Of course, we will be lost to this body as well." _

_That was just peachy and I sighed again. I had no plans on dying anytime soon. There had to be a way back home. There just had to be… _

_Wait…_

_I stood up suddenly, startling Kagome. "Hold on a moment. There's another way, isn't there?" _

_Kikyo tilted her head slightly, "what are you suggesting?"_

"_I have the shikon jewel in my possession. If I wish on it to return to my body, things will return to normal!"_

_Kikyo's eyes narrowed. "Are you sure about that? It is true that the jewel holds great power and would be able to grant your wish, but are you willing to take the risk? Your wishing to go home will not purify the jewel and may cause more harm than good. You could end up bringing the jewel back to your world instead. It will change the course of fate."_

_Kagome looked between me in Kikyo with wide eyes, trying to understand what was being discussed. She had no idea what the jewel really was._

"_What other choice do I have?" I looked down at Kagome who was watching me with interest and...respect? "This body isn't mine to keep. I have no right to take Kagome's life from her. Besides, even if I do end up taking the jewel with me… isn't that the best for your world?"_

"_Is it the best for yours?"_

_I paused and thought about it. If the shikon jewel followed me back to my world… what would the consequences be? There were no demons in my world. At least… none that I was aware of. Kagome's modern world wasn't aware of demons either. What if my world was the same way? What if there was a great evil that would be after the jewel and cause a nuclear war or something?_

_Light shone from the tree tops and we looked up. The sun was emerging and the world around me started to fade away. I realized that I was starting to wake up_

"_Think about this carefully," Kikyo told me seriously as her body began to turn translucent. "Do not take the jewel's power lightly." _

"_Wait!" Kagome grabbed at my wrist. Her own hand was see through. "Who are you really? You know my name. I don't know yours."_

_I gave Kagome a small smile. She didn't look like she was angry with me anymore. "My name is Anna. It's nice to meet you, Kagome."_

_The dream around me vanished._

* * *

**A/N: **_Well then! How about that? What will happen next? Even I don't know. Lol!_

_Please leave a review, letting me know what you think. Favs and Follows are welcome! To my old readers who follow my stories, thank you for sticking with me here too! To my new readers, welcome! I hope you enjoy the ride!_


	3. Traversing Through the Village

**Chapter 3:** Traversing Through the Village

* * *

Previously:

"_Think about this carefully," Kikyo told me seriously as her body began to turn translucent. "Do not take the jewel's power lightly." _

"_Wait!" Kagome grabbed at my wrist. Her own hand was see through. "Who are you really? You know my name. I don't know yours."_

_I gave Kagome a small smile. She didn't look like she was angry with me anymore. "My name is Anna. It's nice to meet you, Kagome."_

_The dream around me vanished._

* * *

It was a new day and the villagers were busy with repairing their homes. I was in the meantime, letting Kaede clean my stitched wound. I hissed and breathed through my clenched teeth. Boy, did the herbs sting like a scratching cat.

"How is that?" Kaede asked me. "Perhaps I'll put more ointment on your belly."

"I think I'm good now, thanks…" I just wanted it to be done and over with already. Kaede nodded and bandaged me up once more. "Umm, I wanted to apologize."

Kaede looked up at me, "whatever for, child?"

I looked down at my lap feeling guilty. "It's my fault that Mistress Centipede attacked your village. I knew that she was after me but I allowed myself to get a little too comfortable."

A snort came from InuYasha and I gave him a pointed look. He was lying on his side with his back to us while facing the exit. Apparently he had been here since before I woke up.

"Worry not, Kagome" Kaede used my alias without question. She seemed to have caught on that I was not going to use my real name. The priestess thankfully respected my decision. "Demonic attacks are not unusual in this world and our village has seen its fair share of them. However, now that the sacred Shikon no Tama is back among us, far worse than Mistress Centipede will come to claim it. And not just demons. There are humans whose hearts are more evil still. In this era of war and chaos, the powers of the jewel can make any ambition a reality."

I slumped back against the wall with a sigh. "Of course," I said. "In other words, by being here I am putting you all in danger."

"As I said before, we are used to it," Kaede smiled at me with the intention of calming me. "Ye are not the first to have the jewel in her possession."

I smiled back at her, albeit with some force. Whether they were used to it or not, it still wasn't right. I looked over to InuYasha who still hasn't moved from his spot. "Hey, InuYasha. Are you okay over there buddy? You look bored."

InuYasha glared at me from over his shoulder, "I'm waiting for the jewel." He turned away again.

I couldn't help but smile for real at his attitude. I couldn't help but feel giddy. Here he was. InuYasha in the flesh. The _real deal! _"You are going to be waiting for a long time, then," I giggled.

"Tch…" his ear flicked with annoyance. God… I wanted to touch it. My fingers twitched in my lap and I grasped my green skirt instead. Somehow I doubted that he would allow me to get close to him.

"With the beads around his neck, his threat is diminished," Kaede said. "It is perhaps the only way we can allow him so close to the jewel."

"Speaking of which, I'm surprised that you didn't steal it while I was under," I told InuYasha. "You seemed so willing to kill me for it. What changed?"

"Nothing _has_ changed," InuYasha growled and he sat up, his back still facing me. "There's just no point in stealing it from you when you are sleeping like the dead."

I raised my eyebrows, "You didn't strike me to be the honorable type." At least not **yet**.

"I'm not!" InuYasha spun around and glared at me. "If I'm going to take the jewel from you- and I **will**\- I want it to be worth the effort!"

"Hmm," I picked up the jewel off of the cloth that was laid out next to me. I looked back at InuYasha in thought. _Perhaps I should stroke his ego a little as a manipulative tactic to sway his desire from claiming the jewel?_ "I don't see the point of you going after the jewel. You are more formidable than any demon that I have seen." And by that I mean all of the demons that he had encountered in both the manga and the show. "I mean look at you. You obliterated Mistress Centipede like she was… well… a centipede."

"Ah, but he's just half demon," Lady Kaede replied in his stead.

InuYasha punched through the floor with his fist, splintering the wood. I flinched back. It was one thing seeing him do it in the show. It was a whole different experience seeing it first hand. Honestly, knowing that he could do that to my face without the slightest effort- it scared me a little. InuYasha bared his fangs at the priestess. "You know what? I'm sick of hearing some dried up witch I just met talk like she knows me!" he snarled.

"So ye don't remember," Kaede didn't look surprised or fazed that he had just destroyed her floor. "I thought as much." She walked over to the exit to put on her sandals. "I'm younger sister of Kikyo. She who bound ye to the tree, Kaede."

InuYasha's eyes widened as he took in that bit of information. "_You're_ Kaede?" For a moment, I could see amazement, confusion, realization and joyless acceptance all run across his face. "So you're the brat, huh?"

"Fifty years have passed and I have grown old."

InuYasha scratched at his head, "And if you're this old, Kikyo must be pushing a hundred." He leaned back casually like he didn't care. He smirked, "I'm sure glad that I don't have to worry about being old. At least not for a while."

'_Aren't you old though?'_ I couldn't help but think. He might have the appearance of a young man, but technically speaking… he was over two hundred. And that wasn't counting the fifty years of him being pinned to the tree. Besides, he had a head full of white hair. I fought back a chuckle. The dude was _**old **_with a capital 'O-L-D'. '_You cradle robber you…'_

"Kikyo didn't worry either," Kaede said dryly as she placed wood into the fireplace. "Kikyo died."

InuYasha's ears twitched and he opened his eyes slightly.

"It was the same day she shot ye with the arrow."

InuYasha smiled, "Gee, sorry to hear it. Not that I really care or nothin'." He layed back down on his side, his back to me. He was certainly making a show of how much he didn't like me. "It's one less thing for me to worry about."

"I wouldn't start celebrating just yet, InuYasha," Kaede said. "I now know that Kagome is the reincarnation of my sister."

InuYasha's body stiffened as did I. This wasn't something that I wanted to acknowledge. Sure, Kagome was the reincarnation of Kikyo. But me? I was both Kagome **and** Kikyo? I was starting to sound like an all-in-one package… or a poorly written OC.

God, I needed some air. I got up and dusted off Kagome's skirt. Ugh… did it have to be so damn short? I tugged down at it a little. "I'm going to go outside for a bit," I said.

Kaede looked up at me, "Don't wander off too far, Kagome. Remember what I said about others wanting the jewel."

I smiled at her as I put on my shoes. "It's fine. I'm not going to leave the village. Besides, I don't think this guy is going to keep me out of his sight." I pointed over my shoulder with my thumb at InuYasha.

He huffed, "Ha! Damn straight I won't."

"See? I've got my own personal guard dog." I grinned at Kaede who couldn't help but smile in return.

"_What did you call me?!_"

"Toodles!" I sprinted out of the hut before InuYasha could get to his feet. I raced down the street and the villagers parted for me, looking confused- then startled when InuYasha sped after.

"Come back here, you!"

I didn't feel scared anymore. If anything, I was thoroughly enjoying myself. I laughed and waved to the villagers as I ran past. Then noticing a blacksmith's shop, I skidded to a stop. Oh yeah! I should probably ask someone to make this jewel into a necklace. Carrying it in my hand all the time would be inconvenient.

I must have stopped a little too quickly because a second later, InuYasha barreled into me- unable to stop in time. "Whoa!" we both fell to the ground with me face down and InuYasha on top of me. My wound throbbed and my hands and knees stung from the gravel. No longer in a good mood, I elbowed InuYasha in the ribs. "Get off of me you big dope!"

InuYasha grunted and pushed himself away from me- but not before grabbing the overpowered trinket that had escaped from my hand. "Ha! Thanks for the jewel!" he smirked at me before turning to high tail away.

"SIT!"

"GAH!" InuYasha made a satisfying splat into the ground, letting go of the jewel in shock.

I stood up and casually brushed myself off. Geeze, this school uniform was beyond saving. Why did Kagome insist on wearing this all the time? Grumbling in irritation, I walked over and took the jewel back. "No, thank _you_."

"You… bitch…" InuYasha cursed as he struggled to get back up.

I gave InuYasha a stern look over my shoulder, "I warned you. If you try to steal the jewel away, I will flatten you like a pancake. And besides-" I turned away and walked towards the blacksmith's shop, "my name is Kagome. Not 'you bitch.' Honestly, who would name their kid that?" I walked into the hut and saw the blacksmith hammering away at some metal.

He saw me come in and he stopped working. "Hello there, young lady. How may I help you?" The blacksmith rubbed away the sweat from his brow.

"Hello," I greeted him politely. "I was wondering if you could possibly make this into a necklace?" I held up the shikon jewel between my forefinger and thumb.

The blacksmith's eyes widened at the sight of the jewel. "Oh my! Is that really the legendary Jewel of Four Souls? I couldn't believe my eyes last night, but it really is true."

I smiled awkwardly and shrugged, "Yeah. You and me both."

The man walked over to me and took the jewel when I handed it to him. "I will be honored to make this wearable for our newest priestess."

"Nah, I'm no priestess." I shook my head. Then I realized something important. "Oh! I'm so sorry! I just remembered that I don't have anything to pay you with!"

The blacksmith laughed. "I'll do this for no fee. After all, you are Kikyo reincarnate. If anything, I should be paying **you** for your gracious services, lady Kagome." He took the jewel to his workspace and began to look for something that he could drill a hole with.

I grimaced but said nothing in return. No point in looking a gift horse in the mouth, even if I hadn't done anything to deserve it.

The blacksmith looked up and suddenly went rigid with fear.

I looked back to see InuYasha peering through the window with an ominous expression while growling like a dog. His face was covered in dirt and pebbles so it actually was pretty hilarious. I waved my hand, brushing the half demon off. "Don't mind him. He won't do anything while I'm around," I reassured the blacksmith.

The blacksmith seemed to relax at my words and continued with his task. I merely sat and waited for him in the corner of the shop, my legs swinging back and forth. I sighed. My legs were really bruised and dirtied. My hands were no better. I picked at the gravel that had got stuck in my skin from falling down. I should get them washed…

It really didn't take long at all. Before I knew it, the blacksmith handed me the shikon jewel in it's iconic necklace form, with the pale shard-like beads surrounding it. I thanked the man and went on my merry way with the jewel around my neck.

InuYasha stalked after me while engraving a chasm into the back of my head with his angry staring. I ignored him and began to hum the 'Sailor Moon' theme song. Sure, it was the wrong anime… but honestly, who cares? It's hella catchy.

InuYasha kept his distance, especially from the villagers. Sometimes he hopped from roof to roof, or sometimes he hid away in a tree. Either way, he never let me out of his sight. I had to give the dude credit. He certainly was persistent. I noticed that I was receiving a lot of stares aside from the bitter half demon. Looking up, I saw that the villagers were all bowing at me, hands pressed together in prayer.

"I knew it was lady Kikyo all along."

"Kikyo-sama has come back just as she left!"

'_Oh, would you look at that? I'm being worshipped.'_ Not knowing what else to do in such a situation, I gave them the good old military salute and marched off stiffly like a tin soldier with no joints. Even so, I didn't get away so easily from my new adoring fans. One after another, I recieved gifts and offerings, mainly in the form of fruit and vegetables. The villagers were mainly farmers after all. As such, their gifts were as good as gold. Before long, my arms were filled with baskets of food and I couldn't carry anymore.

I considered taking them back to Kaede when I noticed that I didn't see InuYasha anywhere. Blinking, I looked around. He had to be nearby. There was no way that he would simply take off without the jewel. Keeping my eyes peeled, I walked along the riverbank until I found him sitting high up on a tree branch. '_Ah, there he is.' _His back was facing towards me seemingly unaware of my presence. But I could see his ears flicking back towards in my direction as I approached. He knew that I was there.

I smiled. I remembered that this was the part where Kagome shared her food with him, and I figured that it wasn't a bad idea to do the same. Besides, I did want to be friends- and what better way to a man's heart, but through his stomach?

I took out a pear and glanced up at InuYasha. Would he catch this if I threw it at him like in the show? I aimed. "Heads up!" I shouted in warning and threw the pear at him. Moving easily like it was second nature to him, InuYasha caught it in his hand without turning around. I beamed. **That was so cool!** I felt my inner fangirl run around squealing like a child inside of me. He caught it!

InuYasha curiously looked down at the pear in his hand and then down at me.

"She shoots and she scores!" I whooped, throwing my hands into the air. "What reflexes! I wish I could catch like you!"

InuYasha frowned, "what do _you_ want?" He sounded more annoyed than angry, which I suppose is an improvement.

"The villagers gave me more food than I can swallow in a week. Would you like some?"

InuYasha hesitated and I could see the distrust in his eyes. I didn't pay much mind to it as I sat beneath his tree and put down the food. "Oh, so much food…" I announced in a deliberate troubled voice. "All of it will go to waste. What shall I do if no one wants it? Throwing them away… what a sad fate for these poor perishables."

It really didn't take long before InuYasha leapt down, grabbed a daikon and plopped down next to me. I struggled to keep a grin off of my face but it was hard. InuYasha was so easy to read. We sat there in silence while eating. The weather was so nice and the breeze was so relaxing. I happily leaned back against the tree, watching the fluffy white clouds float past. I could feel InuYasha glaring at me, as if he was expecting me to turn around and stab him with the daikon. "Whatever you are up to, I ain't buying it," he broke the silence.

"Does it look like I'm trying to sell you anything?" I raised an eyebrow as I bit into the pear. It was sweet and juicy. "I'm giving you _free_ food."

"That is _not_ what I meant."

"I _know_ what you mean," I rolled my eyes. "You think that I have an ulterior motive."

"Aha! So you confess!" He pointed at me accusingly.

I gave him a '_are-you-f'n-serious-bruh?_' look. Since when did this turn into an interrogation? I sat back up. "Will you calm down? I have nothing against you. I told you. I have too much food on my hands and I need an extra mouth to help me out."

"Hmph!" InuYasha turned away and bit into his daikon. He did not look convinced at all.

"Besides," I continued, "I thought it would be nice if we could get along. Maybe even become friends…"

"_Friends?"_ InuYasha barked out a laugh and stood up. He pointed his daikon down at me like a sword. "Why in the world would I want to be friends with a klutzy human such as yourself! Let us get something straight here, woman. I am here **only **for the jewel. I don't need your friendship. I don't need your fake flattery. And I especially don't need _you_!"

Oh, so he noticed that I was trying to butter him up. He wasn't so simpleminded after all. I looked down at the radish that he was brandishing at me and I did what no one else would have dared to do. I took a large bite out of it with a loud crunch.

InuYasha's eyes bulged out as if I had committed a grave sin. "Wha-?!"

"Hmm," I chewed and analyzed the taste. "Doesn't exactly taste like a radish… less peppery and sweeter."

"Hey! Eat your own!" InuYasha yelled down at me, swiping his daikon away.

I gave him a coy smile, "sorry. I thought you were giving it to me, with the way you were waving it around in my face."

InuYasha was at a loss for words and stared at me like I was the oddest creature he had ever come across. "You are nothing like her…"

"Like who?" I feigned ignorance.

InuYasha growled and faced away from me. He did not answer.

I let my face relax into its resting position. I took a few strands of his glossy hair and gently tugged on it twice. "If it's any consolation, InuYasha, I'm not Kikyo. I'm Kagome. I didn't pin you to the tree. So please, don't blame me for something that I didn't do. Okay?"

InuYasha slapped my hand away and leapt back into the tree, leaving his unfinished daikon on the ground. He no longer wanted to talk to me. I sighed. This wasn't going to be as easy as I had hoped. Wordlessly, I placed a few pears and one more daikon on the ground next to his chewed up one as a peace offering. I got up and walked away with the rest of the food. I never noticed that InuYasha took the effort to glance back at me as I left.

* * *

When night fell, I laid awake on the futon that Kaede had prepared for me. I took out the jewel and held it in the light of the fire. I could make a wish now. I could wish to return back to my own world and back to my own body. But… Kikyo's words frightened me. What if the consequences of wishing upon the jewel were too great? In the entirety of the series, nothing good has ever come out of using the Shikon no Tama. I stared at my reflection in the jewel. That face was not my own… If it wasn't for my eyes, I'd probably have no recognition of myself. I sighed and let the jewel fall back onto my chest. I stared up at the ceiling while Kaede snored on the other side of the fireplace. What was I going to do? There had to be another way for me to go home. I didn't use the jewel to come here so going off that logic, whatever caused me to end up inside Kagome could potentially take me back. But how did I end up here in the first place? I couldn't remember anything…

_I couldn't remember anything…_

Fear welt up inside me. I tried to remember what my day consisted of before I woke up as Kagome. Nothing. I was coming up blank. What day was it? A Monday? A Sunday? Did I have work that day? Did I have my art classes? What did I eat that day? _Did that day even happen?! _

The sound of cawing snapped me out of it. I was breathing heavily with sweat dripping down my forehead. I looked over to the window where the bright moon shone through. Losing the will to sleep, I got up from the futon and walked over to the window. I looked up to see a murder of crows perched in a tree a field away. They were staring dead at me and my flesh began to crawl. I knew that one of them wasn't a normal crow, but a demon. They could sense the jewel. I took a nervous step back.

In an instant, InuYasha was there in that tree swiping at the birds with his claws. The crows scattered, cawing in agitation as they flew away. I let out a sigh of relief. Of course, while InuYasha was here, there was little chance of any minor demon getting to me. I clutched at the jewel in my hand, feeling it adjust to my body temperature. I stared at the dog-eared boy for a while, watching his hair shine silver in the moonlight, swaying in the breeze. I couldn't help it. There was something magical… practically otherworldly about him. Kind of like how you couldn't help but stare at a unicorn (if those things even exist).

I gasped when InuYasha's golden eyes met mine. My heart skipped a beat and I rushed back to my futon. I pulled the covers over my head and lay still. I had no idea why I suddenly acted like a flustered child who was caught up after bedtime hours. I curled into myself pathetically and tried to drown out the world around me. Maybe… if I fell asleep now, I would wake up in my own bed. Maybe I'll finally wake up.

After one worrisome thought after another, my eyelids eventually grew heavy and closed. I had no dreams that night.

* * *

The roosters crowed at the crack of dawn and I woke up in the exact spot where I had fallen asleep. I gave a sad sigh. I was still stuck here in the feudal era as Kagome. I sat up, pulling the covers off of my head. Kaede was still asleep and the fire had burnt out. I simply sat there on the futon, not really looking at anything.

It was day three. What was I going to do now? What was supposed to happen today? I recalled that in the series, Kagome snuck away from the village to look for the well- only to get kidnapped by a bunch of bandits. Their leader was an undead giant who was being controlled by that demonic nesting crow. I grimaced. I didn't want to go through that. No way no how.

So I had made my decision. I would not leave the village today.

Silently, without waking the old woman, I left the hut. The morning was a cool one and slightly misty. The villagers were only just starting to stir so it was still pretty quiet. I glanced around for InuYasha. I didn't see him, how odd. Turning back around, I felt a smile pull at my lips when I found his signature red and white colors atop of Kaede's roof. He was sprawled out on his back, hands behind his head and eyes closed. He was asleep. My heart warmed at the sight. Despite all his true intentions of stealing the jewel, InuYasha had watched over me that night. I couldn't help but feel touched.

I continued on my path, letting the sleeping dog lie. I stretched and yawned. I felt the kinks start to leave my body. Going for an early morning stroll was actually a good idea as I felt my mood brighten up with the rising sun. The birds chirped a tune that was incredibly familiar to me.

"_Four scenes, four, four seasons. Four scenes, I'll be alright. Four scenes, four, four seasons. Four scenes, stay with me...,"_ I sang along lightly. The rest of the words I made up with 'la-la's and doo-dee-doo's'. It had been years since I have heard that particular ending song to '_InuYasha'_ so the lyrics escaped me.

The village was really lovely and I found myself wanting to get a better look at it. Conveniently, I found a tree that looked easy enough for me to climb. I smiled and walked up to it. I grabbed at the branches and pulled myself up higher and higher. It had been forever since I climbed a tree. Maybe it was because I was fifteen again that I was filled with the desire to explore… to seek out a higher branch. I made it up pretty high and I gasped at the beauty of the world around me. It wasn't just the village that looked stunning. I could see past it and towards InuYasha's forest and the mountains behind it. The wind played with my hair and skirt. I felt so free!

I couldn't resist the urge to cup a hand around my mouth and shout into the distance, "Good morning!" My voice echoed back to me several times before it faded away.

After getting my fill of the view, it occured to me that I would have to somehow get down. "Ugh! Why do I never think ahead!" I whined. It was always easier to climb up. Shakily, I started to make my way down. And as fate would have it, my foot slipped off the branch. I screamed in terror as lost my grip and fell. I was going to die!

I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for the impending impact- but it never came. Instead, a hand grabbed the back of my sailor uniform and I found myself hanging uselessly in midair. "Huh?" I looked up to see InuYasha glowering down at me. Did he just _**save**_ me?

"Are you trying to kill yourself, stupid?" He snapped.

"InuYasha…" I blinked up at him dumbly. "I fell…"

"No duh!" With a single bound, he jumped out of the tree and back onto the ground with me in tow. I squeaked when he uncerimonsiouly dropped me on my butt. "What were you thinking? What if you lost the jewel?!"

Oh. So THAT was what he was worried about. I rolled my eyes and got up onto my feet, rubbing my poor rear bumper. "The jewel is fine, don't worry."

"Keh!" InuYasha crossed his arms. "How you managed to get this far without dying is astounding."

"What's even more astounding is that you saved my life," I gave him a smug smile. "I thought that you hated me."

"I **do** hate you! I just don't want anything happening to the jewel."

The tsundere force was strong with this one. I shrugged, "Well, whether or not you intended to, you did save my life… so… thank you." I gave him the most genuine smile that I could muster. _Come on, buddy. You know you can't resist the Kagome smile. _

I didn't know that it wasn't the smile but the 'thank you' that affected him the most. InuYasha moved away from me, eyes avoiding my own. "Yeah, well don't get used to it. I'm not going to keep saving your ass every time you decide to jump out of a tree."

I sputtered, "I did NOT jump out of the tree!"

InuYasha snorted, "Could have fooled me. With the way you were waving your arms around, you probably thought that you could fly."

I was about to retort back when understanding struck me. InuYasha was bickering with me. He wasn't antagonizing me. He wasn't threatening me. He was… teasing. I was dumbstruck and my mouth hung open. Wait… was this the same InuYasha from the show? This was only the third day and already he was acting much more civil towards me. What the hell did I do to unlock this level in our poor and suffering relationship? Was it the food? It **had** to have been the food.

InuYasha caught me gawking and he frowned, "What the hell are you looking at?"

"You, apparently."

"Well quit it! You're creeping me out!"

"Aye, aye, mon capitan." I smiled and walked past him. I stretched my arms up with satisfaction. Yup. This was so much better than trudging into the forest by myself and getting myself captured by bandits. Maybe I won't have to break the jewel.

I turned back around to face InuYasha. "You know what sounds good right now? Breakfast. How about we have some?" I grinned.

* * *

**A/N: **_I'm on a roll here. Another chapter so soon! I can't help it. After ten years of being away from the fandom, I feel like I need to make up for lost time. So what do you guys think about this chapter? It's a little more slice-of-life with nothing really happening but it felt right. Remember to leave a review if you liked it! :) Reviews are yummy. _


	4. Stupid Bird

**Chapter 4**: Stupid Bird

* * *

Previously:

_InuYasha caught me gawking and he frowned, "What the hell are you looking at?" _

"_You, apparently."_

"_Well quit it! You're creeping me out!" _

"_Aye, aye, mon capitan." I smiled and walked past him. I stretched my arms up with satisfaction. Yup. This was so much better than trudging into the forest by myself and getting myself captured by bandits. Maybe I won't have to break the jewel. _

_I turned back around to face InuYasha. "You know what sounds good right now? Breakfast. How about we have some?" I grinned. _

* * *

Rumors spread fast throughout the village that InuYasha was tamed by the strange new girl who happened to be Kikyo reincarnate. The word about the rosary beads around his neck was soon known to everyone. As such, no one seemed to be as frightened of InuYasha as they were prior. InuYasha- of course, wasn't too happy about being compared to a dog on a leash. There was very little he could do about it aside from grumble, sulk and occasionally snap at the nearest person who usually happened to be me.

He tugged at the rosary beads that were around his neck as Kaede fried the fish over the fire. InuYasha couldn't pull it off, no matter how hard he tried. He even tried to use his teeth to bite through, but the necklace did not release its hold over him.

"It's not going to come off," I told him. "You're wasting your time."

"Damn it!" InuYasha gave it one last tug and glared angrily at me. "I'll find a way to get these blasted beads off. And once I do, you are gonna wish that you have never met me!"

"Yeah, yeah… bark, bark to you too, buddy," I helped Kaede by adding more wood to the fire. The smell of the fish was mouthwatering. Nothing was better than a decent breakfast in the morning. "The only way that they are coming off is if I take them off." _Or if I sit you hard enough that they shatter like in the third movie._ I looked up at InuYasha with a complacent smile, "And maybe I will one day. _**If**_ you learn to behave yourself."

"Yeah? And what will you do if I don't? Will you subdue me again?" InuYasha pressed.

"I keep my promises," I said with pride. "If I said that I won't use the word against you unless you get violent or try to steal the jewel, then there is no need to say it."

The fish looked to be about done and was going to grab myself a stick when it was snatched out from under me. InuYasha pulled the fish off the stick with his teeth and chewed it noisily. Scorning me, he flicked the empty stick in my direction and it landed on my lap.

Kaede sighed at InuYasha's childishness and began to pour us some hot tea. She did not wish to get involved in whatever was starting.

I felt a flicker of irritation spark up inside me. Luckily my inner furnace was drafty one and the sparks sizzled away before they could turn to flames. I decided to be the mature one and grabbed for another stick. After all, petty is as petty does. I bit down… only to taste wood. I blinked and pulled away the stick to see that there wasn't any fish.

InuYasha made a show of holding my fish by the tail and lowering it into his mouth. He smirked at me smugly as he chewed.

I felt a twitch in my brow. So he was testing me, was he? He was trying to see how far he could push me before I broke my word. Some wars were started by disagreements. Some wars were started by greed. InuYasha was starting a war by simply being an _ass_. Well, it took two opposing parties to fight and I was a very sore loser. I gave him a smile so bright that it was clearly fake. "Hungry, are we?"

My voice so sugary sweet that only an idiot would miss the underlying threat in my question. A smart man would back the hell off. InuYasha… was a special case to say at the very least. If he caught onto the warning- _and I was quite certain that he did_\- … he did not find it intimidating. InuYasha licked his fingers clean and I saw his fangs peek out from beneath his lips in a grin.

"Mmm. Aren't you going to have any?" he asked me in a semi-innocent manner, "Ka-go-me?"

Shock ran through me like a bolt of lightning and the smile left my face. He said my-er...no HER name _already_? He wasn't supposed to say it until after Yura of the Hair was defeated!

As if sensing a disturbance in the force, Kaede put down her cup of tea and got up. She muttered something about getting more firewood and left the hut. No one pointed out the obvious that there was a stack of unused wood by the wall.

InuYasha and I were left alone and only the sound of the crackling fireplace kept the silence at bay. Getting over the initial shock of Kagome's name being said aloud by the half-demon, I smiled again. "You remembered my name. I'm flattered."

"Keh, as if I could forget a stupid name like that."

I couldn't help but feel a little insulted for Kagome but I stayed calm with a smile still plastered onto my face. InuYasha was trying to get a rise out of me and I wasn't about to give him the satisfaction. If I was to strike… it'd be **my** win not his. Instead I held out a cup for InuYasha. "Would you care for some tea?"

InuYasha reached past the cup and grabbed another fish stick, ignoring my offer completely. He wordlessly tore into the second to last fish with his teeth, not bothering to keep his mouth closed as he chewed. The sign of ultimate disrespect.

Now, I consider myself to be a tolerant person with the patience of a saint. However… after being forced into a foreign body, into a foreign world, into a foreign time period with monsters after my life… I was starting to feel a bit more than a _little_ cranky. It would be so easy to just 'sit' this pretentious pup; to watch his face get smashed against the wooden floor just to beat the arrogance out of him. It would be so, so… easy and _so, so_… satisfying. But I was a woman of my word. I held myself in too much of a high regard to allow myself to be emotionally swayed like this.

As a way to keep my honor - so to speak - I decided to go on the offense rather than defense this time. "InuYasha, be a good boy and SI-"

InuYasha dropped his fish stick and his eyes widened. His entire body became frigid with horrified anticipation.

"-P your tea before it gets cold." I popped the 'p' for good emphasis.

InuYasha mechanically took the cup from me, shellshocked.

I felt my smile relax into a more genuine one. I gently blew at my own hot tea, chasing the steam away. I sipped it gingerly and I tried not to show my displeasure at the bitter flavor. I always had two teaspoons of sugar in my tea but there was none to be found in this day and age. InuYasha mimicked my actions and drank his tea. I mentally sighed and just enjoyed the natural flavor of the green leaves. At least I finally had some peace and quiet. I felt my irritation dissipate like the steam from the tea. I reached for the last fish stick and noticed from the corner of my eye, InuYasha was doing the same.

Normally I would have either tried to snatch it away from him first (and lose) or just let him have it. I could always get more fish. It really wasn't that big of a deal in the long run.

So what happened next caught me off guard. An overwhelming sense of fury enveloped my soul and my head began to throb with a dull pain. How dare he? _**How dare he?!**_ Before I knew it, I grabbed the empty stick that was still in my lap. I skewered the sharp end through the floor… right between InuYasha's fingers.

Silence…

We both stared at the stick that was in my clenched fist. _Did I just… do that?_

InuYasha let out a spiteful chuckle, "Well… I've got to hand it to ya, wench. You've got good aim. I guess you are more like Kikyo that I gave you credit for."

Those poor choice of words made something in my soul twist.

"What are you talking about?" I looked him dead in the eyes. My voice was eerily quiet and unfamiliar to me. My smile was gone. The smirk left InuYasha's face and for that split second, I saw wariness in his golden orbs. With a sharp jerk, I pulled out the stick- leaving a hole in the wood. I didn't notice the slight crackle of pink spiritual power that sparked from it. "I missed."

InuYasha did not go after the fish again.

My sudden migraine dissipated and the dark emotions faded. I was left feeling cold and shaky. I bit into my fish and tried to somehow make sense of what just happened. It was similar to when I was facing off with Mistress Centipede- when Kagome tried to take back control. Unlike last time where I could easily discern the difference between my emotions and Kagome's, these emotions melded into mine. They **became** mine. It wasn't something that I could just… push away.

This didn't feel like Kagome. It felt darker. _Angrier_. I had wanted to **hurt** InuYasha.

I felt my face go pale with realization. Kagome wasn't the only one lying dormant in my soul.

'_Kikyo… was that you?_'

For the first time in my life, I felt frightened of myself. I glanced over at InuYasha who sat with his back to the wall, arms crossed his chest. His eyes were distant, as if remembering a memory from long ago. I wanted to apologize to him for my sudden violent reaction. Him trying to steal my food did not warrant such behavior.

"InuYasha, I-"

"Something is burning," InuYasha broke me off. His ears were perked up in alert and he sniffed the air.

I looked at the fireplace in confusion.

But then I heard the screams. I got up to my feet in worry and raced towards the door. I pushed aside the curtain and looked outside. I gasped. Bandits! They were torching the homes and shops! What was this?! This never happened in the show!

"Well, aint that bad luck?" InuYasha asked nonchalantly as he looked over my shoulder, appearing almost out of nowhere. I jolted in shock. "It seems that the rumors about the Shikon jewel returning has already attracted the attention of bandit scum."

"We've got to do something! They'll destroy the village!" I was about to run outside when InuYasha grabbed my arm.

"What do you expect to do?" InuYasha snapped at me. "If they really are after the jewel, then you are the first person that they'll target!"

"Well- what would you suggest?" I asked desperately.

InuYasha looked at me like I was stupid. "For starters, you could give _me_ the jewel."

I shook his hand off and glared at him angrily. "Don't start that again! Would you stop thinking about yourself for one second and help these people?!"

InuYasha scoffed at me and leaned down to meet me at eye level, "Do I look like I run a local charity? I don't owe these people a damn thing! The way I see it, they deserve it."

My mouth dropped open. Was he serious? Was he fucking serious right now?! When he saved me from falling out of a tree, I thought that he was turning over a new leaf - but no. He was still just as bad as when I released him from Kikyo's spell. This was still the half-breed who harbored a deep grudge against this village.

"Ahahaha!" one of the bandits laughed as lit a home on fire. A mother with her baby ran out screaming, her face covered with soot. The villagers were running around in a panic. The men tried to fight back with their spears and arrows, but the bandits on horseback proved far more experienced with wielding weapons. I watched in horror as the blacksmith...who so kindly helped me with the jewel, was speared in the shoulder.

"Where is the sacred jewel?!" A bandit yelled at the blacksmith and kicked him in the stomach- causing the man to curl up in pain. "We know you are housing it here somewhere!"

"Go… to hell…" the blacksmith groaned.

I shook with fury. Partially at the bandits for harming these innocent people and partially at InuYasha, who was content with simply watching this attack unfold. I had enough of this! I ran outside, ignoring InuYasha who yelled after me.

"Hey! Get back here, moron! What are you doing?!"

Maybe it was because I was Kikyo in one of my previous lives, but I felt entitled to protect these villagers. They took me in. They protected me. They were trying to protect me now by keeping their mouths shut!

"Stop!" I yelled as the bandit was about to stab the blacksmith with his spear again. He looked over to me in confusion and eyed me up and down. The surrounding bandits also stopped and stared at me.

"What's with this bitch?" he asked, his eyes lingering on my bare legs. He laughed, "What's with that get up? Are you trying to turn me on?"

"Lady Kagome… please… run away!" The blacksmith begged me.

Again, I mentally reprimanded Kagome for wearing nothing but her school uniform during the dark ages. Would it kill her to put on some pants?! Or at least leggings?!

"Let him go!" I yelled at the bandit and held up the shikon jewel for all to see. "I am the one you are after, not him!" Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew that I was recklessly putting myself in the way of danger. But I was desperate. A man was about to be skewered like my breakfast! Besides, it wasn't like I didn't have a plan in mind.

'_I must get back to the bone-eater's well,'_ I thought to myself. '_The best chance this village has is if I lure these bastards away. Once I do, I'll return back to Kagome's time. They won't be able to follow me there!' _

"The jewel…"

The bandits parted to reveal a man who towered over them all. My eyes widened in recognition of their boss. It was the nesting crow's puppet! I hadn't been able to avoid the crow demon after all. Since I never entered the forest when I was supposed to in order to get kidnapped, the bandits decided to come to me instead!

The giant staggered towards me, his glassy eyes were unseeing and parted awkwardly in different directions. He dragged his sword behind him limply. He was dead alright… "Give me the jewel…"

An arrow shot the giant in the head, causing the bandits to yelp in surprise. The giant zombie however just merely tilted his head and looked around in a confused daze. It was unaware of the weapon imbedded in his brain. I looked to see that it was Kaede who had shot the arrow. She notched another one into her bow. "Ye shall not have the jewel!" she announced sternly. She was backed up by several of the villagers.

"It's no use, Kaede!" I yelled to her. "The man's dead. He's being controlled!"

Kaede's one eye widened at my word. "Controlled? But by what?"

"He's dead?" one of the bandits whimpered in fear.

"The boss is dead?!"

"I thought that he was acting kind of strange these past few days…"

"But if he's dead, then whose orders were we following?"

"I'll show you who." I grabbed the spear of the bandit who was attacking the blacksmith and pulled it out of his hands. The bandit was too shocked by the turn of events that he didn't even resist. With a furious cry, I thrust the spear through the giant's heart.

I heard gasps all around me. No one expected a teenage girl to take matters into her own hands. I grimaced at the decaying stench of the corpse. With a sickening crunch, I heard something emerging from the other side of the giant's body. The nesting crow flew out of the corpse, cawing and snarling.

The bandits screamed as the giant's body went limp and turned to bones. I leapt away, completely grossed out by both what I did and by the skeleton. Ugh… I really wanted to be home.

"L-let's get out of here!" The bandits screamed and ran away- throwing their weapons aside like a bunch of sissies.

"I didn't sign up for this demon crap!"

"I knew I should have stayed in bed today!"

I dropped to my knees and tried to help the blacksmith up, "We need to get you help!" I looked worriedly at his wound.

The man forced a smile onto his face though it was clear that he was in tremendous pain. "Don't worry about me...I'll be fine."

"Huh, so it was a nesting crow all along."

I turned to see InuYasha casually strolling up beside me, his eyes focused on the circling bird. Again, I felt anger flare up inside me. "Oh, _now_ you decided to show up?"

InuYasha wasn't fazed in the slightest by my anger. In fact, he outright ignored me- finding the demon to be far more interesting. "Disgusting little buzzards. I thought that something smelt off. They are too weak to fight their own battles so they devour the heart of their victim while they sleep and use the corpse as their puppet."

"Thank you for the useless trivia," I glared at him while another villager came to take the wounded man away from me. "I figured it out before you did. Now how about you do something worth while and go after the stupid bird?"

InuYasha rolled his shoulders carelessly, "Why bother? It's not like it can do anything." He grinned fiercely at the crow that continued to fly over us in a circle. "If the crow has a shred of intelligence, then it knows better than to cross me."

"Maybe not, but that won't stop it from coming back for the jewel and attacking us again!"

"I don't know if you've noticed, but the whole world is going to come after the jewel," InuYasha retorted. "You think I ought to go after them all?"

"I think you ought to do something if you don't want someone else grabbing the jewel!" I gasped when InuYasha suddenly grabbed me by the necklace. He roughly pulled me to him and I felt myself shrinking into myself when he glowered down at me.

"You know, I'm getting really tired of your high-and-mighty attitude, woman. The only one who will be taking the jewel is me," InuYasha growled. Suddenly I remembered that right now, he was as much as my enemy as the nesting crow. He wasn't my friend. He wasn't kind. He was dangerous. Seeing that I was rendered speechless, InuYasha smirked darkly. "And don't think about using the command on me, wench. I'll crush you beneath my weight."

My face darkened, "Yeah? In that case, how about you let go and we'll call it even."

"I think I have a better idea," InuYasha's grin widened and my stomach curled in on itself. "You take off these wretched beads off my neck and I'll take the jewel… and _maybe_ I'll let you live."

"Oh no! Lady Kagome!"

"He's got Lady Kagome!"

I saw the village men start to focus their weapons towards InuYasha, but they did not attack in fear of hurting me.

"It seems that we are at an impasse then," I said dully.

"I wouldn't say that," a fang poked out from the corner of his mouth. "It won't take much to kill you here and now. Well? What will it be, Kagome?" InuYasha rubbed the jewel between his fingers tauntingly and his eyes bore into mine. Again… he called me by name.

I considered my options and there really wasn't much I could do. If I sat him now, I'd be in trouble. If I took off the beads… I'd be in trouble. If I gave him the jewel… I'd be in trouble. It was a never ending hula-hoop of trouble.

Suddenly, an idea came to mind and my eyes brightened. **Ohhh**… _I was good._ I lowered my eyes demurely, giving the impression that I was submitting myself to InuYasha. "Oh, you really want the jewel that much?" I made my voice meek and frightened.

Sensing his victory, InuYasha lowered his face towards mine with a triumphant smirk, "You know that I do."

With hesitant hands, I curled my fingers around his rosary beads. I moved in closer until our faces were a breath away. "There will be no going back, you know?" He had an earthy scent, something of a mixture of pine and warm amber. Probably from being stuck to that tree for so long...

His eyes focused down to my slightly parted lips and for a moment his eyes glazed over with heated passion. He wasn't looking at me anymore. He was looking at Kikyo. I felt a swirl of emotions begin to rise within me- two opposing emotions that were battling to get my attention. I could feel Kagome panicking and urging me to get away. To just let him have the jewel. Kikyo on the other hand was drawing me towards InuYasha's lips. To kiss him and then use the moment of his weakness to destroy him. They were both so loud and insistent that I wasn't sure how _**I**_ felt. Did I want to escape like Kagome? Or did I want to kiss him like Kikyo did? _What did __**I **__want? _I felt myself losing my sense of self...

"I know…" InuYasha whispered back and his lips parted slightly, his eyes started to close.

Before his mouth could make contact with mine, I forced my knee up with all my strength.

**IMPACT!**

InuYasha's eyes shot open and his mouth was agape in a silent scream. He lost his grip on the Shikon jewel and doubled over from the pain. He fell to his knees and curled up. Dog like whimpers escaped from his trembling form.

Finally finding a handle on my own true emotions, I shoved both Kagome and Kikyo back into the farthest reaches of my mind. Tears stung my eyes. I was so frustrated. Frustrated with everything and everyone. I breathed heavily, trying to keep myself in check. My hands trembled. I wanted to scream. I wanted to yell. Why was I stuck in the middle of everything?! This wasn't my life!

"You...bitch!" InuYasha squeaked, tears of pain visible from the corner of his eyes.

I wanted to sit him. I wanted to sit him **so bad**. In some way, shape, or form. I felt betrayed. I had trusted that he would help me. That he wasn't as horrible as he made himself to be. No, he just sat back and watched. Then he threatened to hurt me. Then he actually was going to _kiss me_. No. He was going to kiss Kag-..._Kikyo_.

Crap… I didn't know anymore.

I glared down at InuYasha with such vehemence that even he fell silent. "The only jewel you should worry about is your own pair," I hissed. Several stray tears fell down my cheek and InuYasha actually flinched at the sight of them. He actually looked guilty. Well, good! I angrily rubbed my face but more tears replaced the old ones.

I felt alone… I had no one to rely on. The villagers were kind and Kaede was wise, but they were not what I needed. Kagome and Kikyo were more of a nuisance than anything. What I wanted…I wanted…

The image of my mother's face came to mind and more tears escaped. This time I couldn't hold back a sob. I missed her. I missed her so much!

I wished that … I wished…

The jewel around my neck began to glow, unbeknownst to me. The villagers gasped.

InuYasha's eyes widened. "What the-...?"

I felt a desperate voice in the back of my head- Kikyo's voice. She was warning me...trying to stop me. But I was too emotional to listen.

'_**What is it that you wish?**_' the jewel seemed to whisper in my mind. '_**Tell me and I shall grant it.' **_

'_No, Anna! Stop! You musn't!' _Kikyo's voice forced her way through.

Kagome joined in. '_Just wish to go home! It isn't worth this!'_

'_That wish is wrong!' _

'_So what?! It's MY body!' _

'_**What do you wish for?' **_

So many voices in my head… all jumbled up. I clutched at my head and fell to my knees, whimpering. It hurt. It hurt so much. I felt like I was going to explode. "Shut up… shut up… shut up… just shut up!"

"Kagome! Look out!"

I looked up, vaguely aware that Kaede yelled a warning to me. I heard a bird-like screech and a streak of black charged at me. I felt a rush of air, slight resistance around my neck and then a pop! The nesting crow flew off into the sky with the shikon jewel in its clutches.

"The jewel!" I yelled in a panic but then stopped and just sat there. Wait...why was I panicking? Why did I have to care about it? Why was I taking responsibility for this jewel? I frowned and I looked away. Someone else can worry about it. I had enough. I wasn't its keeper.

"Damn it," InuYasha grunted as he finally got to his feet. He looked over to me and snapped, "What are you doing sitting around like an idiot? Let's go!"

"Go where?" I grumbled. I sounded like a child but I didn't care anymore. I flinched when he grabbed me by the arm. He dragged me to my feet by force. "Hey!"

"After the jewel, of course!"

"The hell I will!" I yelled back. I tried to tug my arm away from him but InuYasha held tightly. "Let me go! If you want the jewel so badly, then go after it yourself!" I tried to pull myself away by using my leg to push against his side with no result. I stumbled as InuYasha gave me a sharp tug.

"Oh, NOW you want me to have it? Make up your bloody mind!" InuYasha dragged me along and he grabbed a bow and arrows from a saddle of a horse with his free hand. "Your mood swings are giving me whiplash!" He knelt down before me and offered me his back. "Get on."

I wrinkled my nose at him in distaste. I didn't want to be anywhere near InuYasha right now, much less ride him. I turned my head away from him, "No thank you."

InuYasha narrowed his eyes in annoyance and with a slight kick with his foot, he knocked my leg out from under me. I cried out in shock and I fell flat against InuYasha's back. Not allowing me to recover, InuYasha hooked his arms around my thighs and secured me tightly to him.

"InuYasha, no! Stop!"

"Keep your mouth closed if you don't want to lose your tongue," was his only warning before he took off into the air. I screamed as my stomach leapt into my throat. I threw my arms around his neck as the forest sped past beneath us. InuYasha's ears flattened against his skull at my shrill scream. "Will you be quiet?! I'm not going to let you fall!"

"You think that I'll believe that?" I shrieked. "I wasn't born yesterday y'know! Let me off! I want to get off!" I hit his shoulders with my fists. Still feeling emotionally imbalanced, I felt tears prick up again. InuYasha tensed up. "Do you hear me?! You or that stupid bird can have the blasted jewel! Turn into a full demon for all I care!"

"You don't care? Really?" InuYasha jumped from tree to tree, his eyes focused on the crow. "The crow lives by eating human flesh. If you think that's bad, just wait till it swallows the jewel."

Looking up, I saw the crow demon do just that. "Bon appetit…"

InuYasha groaned in agitation, "Oh come on! I didn't mean for you to actually swallow it, dumb bird!" He looked over at me, "You saw that, right? Think of what it would do to the old hag and the rest of the village once it digests it! Is that really what you want?!"

I grasped InuYasha's shoulders tightly. No… of course I didn't want them in danger. But what could I do?

"_Kagome!_"

"No! I don't want that!" I yelled, caving in. "I don't want anyone to get hurt anymore!"

"Then take the bow and shoot it down!"

Huh? I glanced down at the bow that was in his hand. I frowned and shook my head. "I can't shoot it down."

InuYasha growled in frustration. "Damn it, woman! We don't have time for your insecurities!"

"It's not that!" I snapped back. "I can't shoot it down because I don't know how! Sure I've held a bow before, but it was a kid's bow! It's not like I've had actual lessons! The chance of me actually hitting a moving target is highly improbable!"

"I swear that if you don't shut up and shoot, then I'll drop you here and now!" InuYasha snarled angrily.

"Fine! I'll do it!" I exclaimed and roughly snatched the bow and arrows from him.

"_Thank you!_" was his sarcastic reply.

I slung the arrow holder over my shoulder and strung one of them into the bow. I tried to pull the string back but like I had expected, it was exceedingly difficult. I groaned as I forced the string back, inch by inch until I had pulled it as far as it could go. My arm trembled and protested with the strain.

"Kikyo was a master archer!" InuYasha momentarily distracted me and I loosened my grip. "Take it out in one shot!"

I sighed and forced myself to draw back the string again. "You're in for one heck of a disappointment if you think that I'm anything like Kikyo…"

InuYasha leapt into the air, giving me a perfect view of the crow. I felt the sunlight hitting the back of our shoulders as I aimed. Deeming my aim as accurate as I could make it, I released the arrow.

* * *

_**A/N**__: Will she hit it?! Will she miss?! FIND OUT NEXT TIME! _


	5. The Jewel Shattered

**Chapter 5: The Jewel Shattered**

* * *

Previously:

"_Kikyo was a master archer!" InuYasha momentarily distracted me and I loosened my grip. "Take it out in one shot!" _

_I sighed and forced myself to draw back the string again. "You're in for one heck of a disappointment if you think that I'm anything like Kikyo…" _

_InuYasha leapt into the air, giving me a perfect view of the crow. I felt the sunlight hitting the back of our shoulders as I aimed. Deeming my aim as accurate as I could make it, I released the arrow. _

* * *

In that very moment, InuYasha had taken a rough leap and as a result my hand slackened too soon. Instead of the arrow shooting off into the distance, it tumbled away down...down. My mouth fell open and I was left dumbfounded. That was horrible! Humiliating even! Even Kagome had managed to _shoot_ the arrow. I freaking _dropped_ it!

InuYasha was so baffled by my failure that he ran into a tree- headfirst with a crash. I cringed as I slid off his back. That has _had_ to hurt! In the anime, he tripped and fell into the ground. In the manga, he had kept chasing after the bird. Either option seemed more favorable than the one he got now. "Ow…" He muttered into the tree bark.

I petted his back, "Um… you okay?"

InuYasha pulled himself off the tree and turned to glare at me. His face was covered in splinters. "Do I look fine to you? What the hell was up with that lousy attempt? You're supposed to shoot the arrow, not drop it!"

I held the bow and arrows to him, "I can't help it! You keep jostling me about on your back! Actually here's an idea; how about I run like Naruto and you shoot the bow! Maybe you'll do better." For some reason, the mental image of InuYasha trying to do archery tickled me. I could see him constantly cutting the string with his claws by accident. Yet, when imagining the human version of him trying to do archery… hmmm… I couldn't help but like that picture. I wanted to draw it…

The shadow above us grew and we both looked up. The crow demon had begun to increase until it was the size of a giant condor. InuYasha clicked his tongue in annoyance and grabbed my arm. "Come on!" He pulled me back onto his back and rushed after it once more. This time, I noticed that he ran more smoothly than before. I could barely feel his footsteps. It was like he was gliding rather than running. "Is this better?!"

"Yeah… thank you," I allowed myself to say.

"Then shoot it! See how big it is now? Even you should be able to hit it!"

I took in a deep breath and let it out. Once more I notched the bow and aimed. My arm burned from the strain but I ignored it as much as I could. The likelihood of me actually hitting the demon was still very small without having the crow's foot attached to the arrow. But still, I felt determined to do my best. I wanted to test my own skills for real. Kagome was Kagome and I was me. I narrowed my eyes and I forced myself to draw the string further. My arm muscles were screaming at me to let go but I tugged harder. I needed it to be strong enough of a shot for it to actually _reach_ the crow.

'_Not high enough.'_

'_What?'_ I blinked as Kikyo's thoughts pressed against my own.

'_You are aiming too low.'_

'_How is __**this**_ _too low?' _It looked to me that I was aiming pretty high already.

'_You'll only knock off its tail feathers at this angle. Aim higher.'_

"What are you waiting for? Shoot it!"

"Will you shut up and let me concentrate?!" I yelled down at InuYasha.

Well, Kikyo was the expert at this so I heeded her advice and aimed higher. Deciding that I stretched the string far back enough, I let the arrow fly. But not before I felt Kikyo try to stop me.

'_Stop! That is too high! You'll hit the-' _

It was too late. The arrow cut through the air with a clear sound and to my complete disbelief, it struck right through the crow's stomach… right into the jewel.

"You hit it!" InuYasha was amazed.

"FUCK!" I shouted as I dropped the bow and pulled at my hair.

The crow blew up and the sky was filled with a blinding light. InuYasha stopped running and shielded his eyes with his fire-rat sleeve, letting me go. I ran around InuYasha like a headless chicken while waving my arms at the sky. "Aw! No! No! No! **NO**!" This couldn't be happening to me. Oh god, please no!

With a flash, the jewel split into tiny pieces and streaks of light scattered across the sky like shooting stars. "No!" I raved like a madwoman, while jumping up and down. "Don't you dare! Go back! Put yourself back together! You're not doing this to me, you little pink shit! You're NOT DOING THIS TO ME!" Of course the jewel shards weren't going to magically listen to my rant. They scattered across the country like spores on steroids.

The streaks of light disappeared and I helplessly let my arms drop to my sides. My knees gave out and I sat on the grass with a plop. There went the one possible chance at returning back to my original body. A long silence grew between me and InuYasha. Eventually, InuYasha's eyes went from the sky to me. "What the hell was that?"

"You don't want to know…" I muttered, still shellshocked at what I have done. After letting the situation sink in, I finally gave him a proper answer. "That was the jewel. I broke it into many little pieces and now they have scattered across the country."

I didn't have to look at InuYasha to know he was swallowing my words like a pack of needles.

"Y-y-y-ou… the jewel...you WHAT?!"

I collapsed backwards onto my back, allowing myself the clear view of InuYasha's face as he loomed over me, shaking with outrage. His face was practically the color of his haori. Red. He looked ready enough to murder me. "I broke the jewel," I repeated. "Not on purpose," I added… as if that would make a difference.

"HOW COULD YOU BREAK THE JEWEL?! YOU IDIOT!"

I covered my eyes with my hands and groaned, "Oh for the love of God, shut up. You told me to shoot the bird. I shot the bird."

"YOU SHOT THE JEWEL!"

"I am well aware of that. Yes, thank you."

"I can't believe-... how could-?!" InuYasha was pacing back and forth, flexing his claws as if needing to shred someone… quite possibly me. I watched him wearily with the word of subjugation on the tip of my tongue. At last, InuYasha seemed to give in to his violent urges and punched a tree with a guttural scream.

The tree trunk splintered and cracked like thunder. The tree crashed to the ground causing the earth the tremble. I watched him as he stood there, shoulders hunched and breathing heavily.

"Feeling better?"

"NO!"

I sighed and turned my attention up at the sky. It was such a nice day, why did it have to go so wrong? And that was when I felt it. It was like a crystal chime that sent tingles up my spine. It was gentle and clear yet it pulled at me like a fishing line. Unable to ignore it, I sat up and looked in the direction that it was calling me from. I knew exactly what it was. A jewel shard.

Without paying any attention to the fuming half demon, I ran in the direction of the shard. One had to have fallen close by. The closer I got, the stronger the pull became, until finally, I had to be practically on top of it. I searched the grass, raking my hands through it. But I didn't see the glimmer of the jewel shard.

"If it isn't below me… then that can only mean that it's above me!" I looked up and just in time too. The decapitated head from the crow burst from the trees, it's jaws agape and ready to kill me. But I was ready for it. I jumped to the side, avoiding the head. It landed uselessly on the ground, screeching. It spat blood and saliva, still alive thanks to the power of the shard.

I pressed my knees over the demon's beak, sitting myself on top of it and struggled to keep it closed. I had to work fast. I wasn't sure if a single shard had enough power to summon the rest of the bird's body back together, but I wasn't willing to risk it. I took a few breaths to prepare myself and then I shoved my hand through the gaping hole where the neck should have been.

I could practically hear Kagome screaming in revulsion in the back of my mind as my fingers searched in the warm and gooey mush. '_Not deep enough_.' I grimaced as I forced my hand in further. I could see the shine of the jewel. If I could just reach it… and ignore the fact that I was literally probing the crow's brains-...

"Got it!" I pulled out the shard with a sickening slurping pop. It shone brightly in a pure pink hue while my own hand was covered in dark blood up past the wrist. The head sizzled and the flesh disintegrated until it was nothing but bones.

I heard footsteps behind me and I looked to see InuYasha. He took note of the crow skull and the shard in my hand. He grit his teeth and his eyes lowered in frustration, "So it's true. It is broken."

"Afraid so," I replied as I stood back up. I placed my clean hand on his shoulder, "I'm sorry, InuYasha. I really am."

He shook my hand off. "What good will your 'sorry' do?! This is your fault! It's all your fault, you stupid wench!"

If I was Kagome, I would have been insulted. But I had expected him to throw nasty words at me and therefore did not take it to heart. This was how InuYasha vented after all and it was best not to add fuel to the fire. "Okay," I replied and accepted the blame.

InuYasha did a double take. "Huh?!"

I turned away and began to walk back towards the village. The sun was already setting behind the clouds. I had to at least check if the villagers were okay. I rubbed the shard between my thumb and index finger, feeling the smooth and jagged edges. I glared spitefully at the shard as it glittered so innocently. This stupid thing was the cause of so many lives lost and will continue to be so. I knew exactly who the true villain of the anime was. And it was **not** Naraku.

"Fucking piece of shit," I whispered, not caring how vulgar my words were- for they were true. I clenched my fist over the shard.

* * *

**3rd Person P.O.V.**

"What good will your 'sorry' do?! This is your fault! It's all your fault, you stupid wench!"

"Okay."

InuYasha did a double take. Kagome's face was so wooden and her eyes were so frigid that she could pass off as Kikyo on a bad day. He felt uncomfortably chastised, like _**he**_ was the one at fault. Then exactly like Kikyo, she turned her back on him without uttering any more words. InuYasha stood there rooted to the ground. He expected her to retaliate. He _wanted _her to fire back at him. But no. Instead she left _him_ feeling like a fool.

"Dammit…" He muttered, rubbing his forehead and brushing his bangs from his eyes. This woman was so strange. One moment she's raving like a lunatic, then she's calm and collected. Her mannerisms constantly changed.

InuYasha slowly began to follow Kagome back towards the village. His arms were crossed against his chest and his eyes stared directly into the back of her head. Who was this Kagome exactly? Was she really Kikyo's reincarnation? She was so similar and yet so different. Even her scent confused him. Nothing about her seemed right.

He watched her play with the shard in her blood covered hand. Kikyo never got her hands dirty. No demon got close enough to come into contact with her skin without being purified into nothing. And yet InuYasha had watched this girl stick her hand into the head of a crow like… well… like he would have. He also recalled how she had speared a giant through the heart.

Kagome wasn't some ordinary village girl but she wasn't a typical priestess either. No, she lacked the dignity of one. Perhaps she came from a demon slayer village?

"Fucking piece of shit."

InuYasha's ears twitched as he caught her whisper. It was uncanny to hear profanity come from Kikyo's double that the half demon found himself sickened by it. Kikyo was supposed to be pure and the embodiment of perfection. This girl was a perversion. A twisted shadow of a great and powerful woman. The more InuYasha thought about it, the more repulsed he became.

_This wasn't his Kikyo._

There was a faint sound of sizzling. Kagome's hand was fisted around the shard so tightly that it betrayed her anger. The blood that covered her hand was steaming away. Gradually the grime faded away until Kagome's healthy white skin was in full view - as if it was never tarnished in the first place. The demon blood had been purified.

InuYasha swallowed and his ears folded back nervously. They walked in silence and reached Kaede's hut by the time twilight began to birth stars. The old woman was visibly relieved to see Kagome unharmed, but the sight of the shard of the sacred jewel changed that relief into dread.

* * *

**Anna-Gome's P.O.V.**

"I was afraid that the scattered lights were a bad omen. Now I can see why." Kaede looked at me as we sat by the fire.

"Yeah, I broke the jewel. It was an accident. I meant to aim for the nesting crow, but…" I trailed off. I looked forlornly at the shard that was in the palm of my hand. "Turns out that fate has decided to play a cruel game with me."

I blinked when I noticed that the blood on my hand was gone. I examined it with awed confusion, flipping it back and forth. '_Is this a continuity error or am I missing something here?' _

"Do not berate ye'self over what has transpired, child," Kaede said softly. "If the crow demon absorbed the jewel completely, all would have been lost. Ye have saved us all."

I gave a bitter laugh, "I'm not a fool, Kaede. I know how powerful a single shard of the jewel can be- and now countless pieces are scattered across the world. Just one falling into the wrong hands could cause havoc. I appreciate that you are trying to console me, but please don't lie to me. What I did was put the world at risk." I bowed my head low to Kaede. "I'm so sorry. Your sister had protected the jewel to her grave and … yet I… God, I'm so ashamed of myself."

Kaede was silent and so was InuYasha - to my surprise. Wasn't he supposed to be rubbing salt in my metaphorical wound by now? I peeked up from the curtain of my black hair at him. He sat sideways, his one leg hanging off the ledge of the floor. He was glaring daggers at the wall across from him. Was he so angry with me that he wouldn't even talk to me?

"There is only one remedy to this conundrum. Kagome and InuYasha, only by working together will the two of ye be able to recover the shards of the sacred jewel."

My head snapped up at Kaede's words. "_What?_"

InuYasha barked out a laugh. "You sure about that, old hag? I'm one of those 'wrong hands' you were talking about."

"Oh aye, that I know too well," Kaede sighed.

I held my tongue and clenched my fists in my lap.

* * *

I woke up before the sun had the chance to rise. It was still dark. I quietly sat up and looked over at Kaede. She was fast asleep. The fire was long extinguished, leaving nothing but ashes and blackened wood. I pulled several sutras out from the band of my skirt. I had feigned interest in the idea of repelling demons with paper charms and asked Kaede to teach me how to use them before bed. Grandpa Higurashi had the right idea in sealing the well up at the very beginning. The only trouble was that he had no spiritual powers to put them to use. Without spiritual power, the sutras were just paper. But now…_I _could seal the well up _myself. _

I placed the single jewel shard on the kimono that served as my blanket. '_Forgive me, Kaede. But I can't do this. This isn't my story. I'm not the heroine of some feudal fairy tale_.'

I had spoken with Kagome and we had come to a mutual agreement. Neither of us wanted to stay here collecting jewel shards for lord knows how long. There WAS the chance of making a wish on the jewel and having things return to normal- but…there also was the threat of that wish dooming us instead. I had told Kagome that the jewel originally wanted her (okay..._our_) soul to continue the endless battle waging inside it and that wishing for anything other than for the jewel to disappear might seal that deal.

'_So, what do you want to do?'_ I had asked her in our dreamscape.

'_Me?'_

'_It's your body. Your life. We could stay and go jewel shard hunting like you were meant to and hope that there's a chance of us separating - or… we could go back to your time and learn to live with each other.' _

I would have included Kikyo in that conversation, but the priestess did not appear to give her input on the matter. She certainly was a cryptic one… that Kikyo. She came and went as she pleased.

In the end, Kagome had chosen to go home.

Gathering my wits and bravery, I snuck out of the hut. The horizon was only beginning to brighten. I looked in the direction of InuYasha's forest and I could practically feel Kagome nodding in encouragement. The gravel beneath my feet crunched quietly as I walked and the damp tall grass tickled my legs. I was just at the edge of the forest when a certain half demon crossed my path.

"And where do you think you're going?" InuYasha glared at me as he blocked my way.

"Home," I said quietly and continued around him.

"Home?" InuYasha laughed under his breath, "I get it. You're running scared, arentcha?"

"Something like that." I didn't fall for his bait. My mind was made up and nothing he could say would stop me- not that I would really expect him to. I was startled when he jumped in front of me, cutting me off again. I sighed, "InuYasha… what do you want now?"

"Look, I don't give a damn on what you're planning to do, but at least give me the jewel shard." He outstretched his hand expectantly.

"I left it with Kaede. Go ask her for it." I walked around him and his hand dropped. "Goodbye, InuYasha."

"You really are nothing like Kikyo."

I stopped in my tracks and I felt anger rise up inside me. For some reason, _that _struck me in the wrong way. I couldn't understand why. Maybe it was the _way _he said it… or the timing of it… but somehow it really churned my insides. I looked over my shoulder at InuYasha and hissed, "Congratulations. You finally figured that out, dumbass?"

I didn't bother to stay to witness his reaction. I ran into the forest and towards the well. I leaned over once I reached it. My hands gripped the wood and I breathed heavily as I glared inside. I could see the bones from Mistress Centipede and I felt Kagome's fear. "It's okay, Kagome. I know what I'm doing, trust me."

I jumped into the well just as the dawn broke.

* * *

I knew that I had made it through to the other side when I saw a dark roof overhead instead of the sky. "I made it…" I whispered, a rush of relief spreading through my body. I spent no time in trying to get out- only to realize that I didn't have any vines to assist me. I slid back down as the dirt crumbled away underneath my fingertips and shoes. "Okay, I didn't think this far ahead…"

'"_What are we going to do now?" _Kagome groaned inside my head.

I shrugged, "Scream? Shout? Holler for help? What are the chances of your family hearing me this early in the morning?"

"_Mom and Souta would be still asleep, but Grandpa is usually up at the break of dawn to clean the shrine grounds." _

"Works for me," I smiled before taking a deep breath and cupping my mouth with my hands. "HEEEEY! HELLO?! IS ANYONE UP THERE?! CAN ANYONE HEAR ME?!"

I waited to see if there was a reply. So far nothing.

"_Then again, Grandpa's become somewhat hard of hearing lately." _

I groaned. But I knew that they would investigate the well house several times due to Souta's insistence (God bless that kid) … so I wasn't too bummed out about it. I kept trying to scream for help- hoping that someone would hear me. I didn't have the jewel shard on me, so I didn't have the fear of randomly being transported back. Yet it still didn't feel right to stand inside the well for too long. I mean, lord knows what could happen.

I was probably stuck in that well for an hour before I heard the door slide open.

"Grandpa, I swear I heard her voice in there just now!"

"Are you sure? She wasn't inside the last time we checked."

"Souta! Grandpa!" I rasped- my voice practically gone from screaming for so long. "I'm inside the well!"

I heard gasps and then a rush of feet. Then before I knew it, a flashlight shined down upon me, nearly blinding me.

"Kagome!" Both Grandpa Higurashi and Souta exclaimed.

"Hello," I grinned. I could only imagine how filthy I looked.

* * *

There were tears and hugs and lots of questions from the Higurashi family. I tried to console them the best I could and told them the truth of what happened. Though, I made sure to keep the part of me possessing Kagome a secret.

"_I'd rather that they don't find out_," Kagome told me. "_They might drag us to the psych ward for schizophrenia_."

"A monster dragged you inside the well and transported you into the warring states era?" Mrs. Higurashi repeated with a shocked look on her face as she looked me over for injuries.

"See, I told you!" Souta announced proudly. "About the monster, I mean…" He looked up at me with wide eyes. "You traveled back through time?! No wonder you disappeared!"

"But that can't be possible." Grandpa Higurashi insisted. "I had sealed the well up years ago! No demon could possibly get through-"

"But one did." I argued before he could go off on a tangent. "I actually have some new sutras," I pulled them out from the band in my skirt and showed it to the old man. "I got them from an actual priestess so they should be effective in sealing up the well."

Grandpa Higurashi narrowed his eyes into slits as he examined the sutras in my hand, "Hmm… I've never seen these types of sutras before. I think that you were scammed, Kagome dear."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, "No. They are the real deal, Gramps. The sutras that _you_ use are the fake ones."

The old man sputtered in outrage and I quickly berated myself for being so rude to my elder. I was about to apologize when Kagome stopped me.

"_Stop, Anna. This is how I usually talk to him. If you suddenly start acting like an adult, they'll know that something is up!" _

'_So you want me to act like a complete brat? There's nothing wrong with turning over a new leaf and bettering yourself, Kagome,' _I thought back to her.

"_This isn't about that. You want to seal the well up for good, don't you?" _

I sighed. Perhaps she had a point. If I apologized now, Grandpa Higurashi might continue to believe that his charms are legit. "Look, let's just try them. Okay? If they don't work, then I'll admit that I'm wrong, deal?"

Grandpa Higurashi pondered this for a moment before nodding his head, "Very well. We'll test these 'sutras' of yours. But don't expect them to work!"

"I won't," I lied with a smile.

And so Grandpa Higurashi nailed the well shut and I stuck the sutras onto the wood while muttering the incantations that Kaede taught me. The seals glowed pink for several seconds before the light faded. I smiled. They had worked.

"Try and drag me back if you can, InuYasha." I couldn't help but smirk as I placed my hands on my hips. I felt very confident that he wouldn't get through. Not he nor any Yura of the Hair for that matter. "You can deal with finding the jewel shards on your own." With that, I flipped my hair and strode out of the well house, determined to never walk through those doors ever again.

* * *

To my utmost gratitude, Kagome's mother allowed me to stay home from school today. After taking a good long bath and changing into a clean set of clothes, I ate breakfast with the family (with a fork instead of chopsticks to everyone's confusion) and waved a pouting Souta off to school.

"It's not fair. Why do you get to stay home?" He whined as he put on his backpack.

"Because I am a delicate and beautiful young flower that needs time to recover from a traumatic life-altering experience," I practically sang with a grin. I never had a chance to be an older sibling in my own life, so I was excited to act the part. "Now hurry it up, or you'll be late."

"I can't believe this…" Souta grumbled as I handed him his boxed lunch.

"Look both ways before you cross the street and don't talk to strangers." I patted his head. "Play nice with the other kids unless the other kids wanna fight- then you gotta kick the other kids' butt."

Souta looked at me weird, not knowing how to react to my Eddie Murphy accent, "But I don't wanna kick the other kids' butt."

"Don't talk back to your big sister," I grabbed him by the shoulders, twisted him around and began to push him out the door. "Now skiddaddle, squirt!"

"What is even happening?" I heard Souta say before shutting the door behind him.

I took advantage of my day off to tour around the shrine grounds. It really was a well kept and beautiful place. Once again, I felt giddy being surrounded by Japanese culture. I paused when I caught sight of an old shed. Something about it was familiar. "Kagome, what's that shed for?"

"_Grandpa uses it to store old shrine artifacts and antiques. Don't bother going in there. It's all old and useless junk." _

"I don't know… something about it worries me. Like something I ought to remember-wait!" I exclaimed as I finally remembered. I ran towards the shed and burst inside.

"_What's wrong?_" Kagome asked.

"In the anime, there was an evil Noh mask stored in here. It eats and absorbs human flesh." I started to rummage through the storage, opening boxes and searching everything. "It sensed the jewel shard and broke out of its seal, setting the shed on fire. It landed Grandpa Higurashi in the hospital!"

"_But if it only broke out because it sensed the jewel shard, then maybe we don't have anything to worry about." _

"What do you mean?"

"_You left the shard with Kaede, remember?" _

I stopped rummaging and just sat there dumbly, "Oh yeah… that's right. I did."

"AHHHH!"

I nearly jumped out of my skin at the horrified scream. I turned to see the old priest standing at the doorway, looking completely devastated at all the opened boxes and all the charms, antiques and various sutras scattered on the floor.

"Kagome! What on earth are you doing? What is this mess?!"

"Oh...um…Hi grandpa." I gave a nervous giggle. "I was searching for something. You wouldn't happen to have a cursed Noh mask in here, would you?"

"A Noh mask? There's nothing like that on our shrine grounds!" He raged. "Now you put everything back where you found them before I change our mind and send you off to school, young lady!"

After apologizing several times and a good half hour of cleaning and repackaging, the old man kicked me out of the shed. I could hear him muttering to himself, "What is wrong with that girl?"

"_I told you not to go inside,_" Kagome scolded me. "_You are just going to raise suspicion!_"

"I said I'm sorry," I grumbled. "But I could have sworn that there was a Noh mask. I remember that part of the episode vividly."

"_But this isn't a tv show, Anna. This is reality. Maybe things are different here than back in your world." _

"Maybe…" I wasn't entirely convinced. Everything had played out like the show so far, aside from the few things that I had deliberately changed. Was that the reason? Was the fact that I had successfully sealed up the well caused changes here in the future?

* * *

It seemed that it was the case. I had eaten dinner with the family without any interference from any half demons. I watched an episode of 'Rurouni Kenshin' with Souta before heading off to bed. I changed into my pajamas and laid on top of the covers. I gave a heavy sigh as I stared up at the ceiling. "I guess that's that. The well is officially closed and now I'm stuck here. Unless… all I have to do is go to sleep in this bed and I'll wake up back home?"

After all, I had woken up in this world in this exact bed.

Kagome didn't answer. She probably had enough of me for the day. I didn't blame her. I did ask countless questions about the shrine to the point where she just stopped responding.

I crawled under the covers and turned off the light. I looked towards the window where the moonlight gently shone through. I wondered what InuYasha was doing right now. Was he fighting Yura of the Hair? Was he okay? Was the village okay?

I shut my eyes before any feelings of guilt could start to appear. I had made my choice. No one was going to blame me for wanting to leave. It wasn't fair to place the weight of the world on my shoulders. I wasn't the jewel's protector. I wasn't Kikyo. It wasn't my responsibility.

I must have drifted off to sleep because my eyes shot open at the sound of the window opening. I lay still and my heart began to hammer away in my chest when I saw a dark figure creep inside. My hand slowly grabbed the alarm clock and I silently pulled it towards myself.

The intruder walked towards me and reached out, ready to grab me. That was when I struck. With a shout I threw the clock at his head with all my might and I heard him give a sharp yelp when it hit. I used that moment to jump out of bed and towards the door.

An arm hooked around my waist and I screamed - only to have a hand cover my mouth. I kicked and struggled while my screams were muffled into pathetic whimpers.

"Damn it, wench! Stop struggling! I'm not going to eat you. It's me!"

My eyes went wide and my body went slack. I was met with a dirt covered face and glowing yellow eyes glaring down at me with annoyance.

'_InuYasha?!'_

* * *

**A/N: **_Hey there! Sorry for the long wait! I was having a bit of a writer's block. Yes, I know about the InuYasha sequel that was announced. It has me super excited yet worried on how this will impact my view on the show. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'll see you in the next one. :)_


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